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A review by ellenwelsh
I Will Greet the Sun Again by Khashayar J. Khabushani
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I Will Greet the Sun Again is a beautifully written novel following K, a sensitive young boy from an Iranian family living in LA around the turn of the millennium.
The story moves between LA and Iran, and Khabushani evokes a vivid sense of place in both of these settings. At the same time, the writing feels murky, like snippets of childhood memories. I very much got the feeling when I was reading this of seeing the world through a child's eyes; not an easy thing for an author to accomplish.
Despite my upbringing being very different from K's, I felt that it captured feelings of youth very well; awkward moments of being trapped in your own fear; boredom; roaming around simply for something to do; the different things you notice when you're a child. The different ways adults treat you, and perhaps not realising why they treat you these ways until later in life. I really enjoyed the parts of the book set in Iran where K meets relatives like Amoo and Khaleh who understand him and show him kindness. Those were really touching.
The moments of K experiencing queer desire and yearning were so tender and relatable. Although I felt nervous of where they might lead, knowing how pervasive homophobia was at this time, they felt like a balm, balancing the heavier emotions throughout.
There are some upsetting scenes in this book, particularly of child sexual and physical abuse, and racism, especially in the wake of 9/11. They are sensitively handled in my opinion, but read with care if these issues affect you.
I did struggle slightly with the punctuation in this book (no speech marks) but I know not everyone feels the same way about this choice.
Overall, this is a moving book about family, diaspora, and growing up that I will keep thinking about. Khashayar J. Khabushani is a promising new writer of literary fiction.
Thank you to Viking for sending me this advance proof copy.
The story moves between LA and Iran, and Khabushani evokes a vivid sense of place in both of these settings. At the same time, the writing feels murky, like snippets of childhood memories. I very much got the feeling when I was reading this of seeing the world through a child's eyes; not an easy thing for an author to accomplish.
Despite my upbringing being very different from K's, I felt that it captured feelings of youth very well; awkward moments of being trapped in your own fear; boredom; roaming around simply for something to do; the different things you notice when you're a child. The different ways adults treat you, and perhaps not realising why they treat you these ways until later in life. I really enjoyed the parts of the book set in Iran where K meets relatives like Amoo and Khaleh who understand him and show him kindness. Those were really touching.
The moments of K experiencing queer desire and yearning were so tender and relatable. Although I felt nervous of where they might lead, knowing how pervasive homophobia was at this time, they felt like a balm, balancing the heavier emotions throughout.
There are some upsetting scenes in this book, particularly of child sexual and physical abuse, and racism, especially in the wake of 9/11. They are sensitively handled in my opinion, but read with care if these issues affect you.
I did struggle slightly with the punctuation in this book (no speech marks) but I know not everyone feels the same way about this choice.
Overall, this is a moving book about family, diaspora, and growing up that I will keep thinking about. Khashayar J. Khabushani is a promising new writer of literary fiction.
Thank you to Viking for sending me this advance proof copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault
Moderate: Racial slurs and Islamophobia