By: Abdi Nazemian
Narrated by: Vikas Adam, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Iman Nazemzadeh
Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
Release date: 05-09-23
Publisher: HarperAudio
YA fiction / from storytel.fi
I liked the other one I listened to by Nazemian, so I decided to try another one. It was a good one, but I did feel at the ending that I wanted more. Like now what? What happened next? Is there hope?
This is a book about 3 generation. Bobby whose mother is trying to make him a star. He is gay in a time that that certainly is not accepted. Then we have Saaeed who has to flee Iran because he took part in demonstrations. You know when they thought they made it better and they made it even worse. He did not even know that he has a grandmother living in LA and that she is American. Then there is Moud. Who is gay in a time when it is certainly more accepted, but he is going to Iran, where is so is not accepted. He will visit his dying grandfather (whose secrets he does not know.)
I think I would have liked to see Bobby actually go to Iran. And maybe more about Saeed later on. And def what Moud does afterwards. The book ends when they are all still in Iran and I just want to know that everything works out. Nothing says it will not, but yes I could have listened to more. I was so invested in these lives.
There were 3 narrators, and yes I chose the book too partly cos one of the narrators. I just really like his voice.
Moud is an out gay teen living in Los Angeles with his distant father, Saeed. When Moud gets the news that his grandfather in Iran is dying, he accompanies his dad to Tehran, where the revelation of family secrets will force Moud into a new understanding of his history, his culture, and himself. 1978. Saeed is an engineering student with a promising future ahead of him in Tehran. But when his parents discover his involvement in the country's burgeoning revolution, they send him to safety in America, a country Saeed despises. And even worse--he's forced to live with the American grandmother he never knew existed. 1939. Bobby , the son of a calculating Hollywood stage mother, lands a coveted MGM studio contract. But the fairy-tale world of glamour he's thrust into has a dark side. Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, this tale of intergenerational trauma and love is an ode to the fragile bonds of family, the hidden secrets of history, and all the beautiful moments that make us who we are today.
Vikas Adam! Love his narration.
ReplyDeleteYes he is sure one of my favs
DeleteIt's a bummer when you want more of an ending. Glad to hear you enjoyed it overall, though.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted it to continue, to see the future, but then all books end
DeleteHmmm... interesting. Three generation of men.
ReplyDeleteThree men who are very alike, and not
DeleteSounds like these characters have a lot going on.
ReplyDeleteThere is sure a lot going on in their lives
DeleteI would have wanted to know what happens too. I need my solid endings lol But it does sound like a fantastic story.
ReplyDeleteSure there is an ending, but he is still in Iran, and Iran "has no gays" as they put it
DeleteI really dig the different perspectives in this one!
ReplyDeleteIt was a really interesting one
DeleteI've always liked Abdi Nazemian! Too bad this one left you wanting more. I've got my eye on it as well, so we shall see what I think!
ReplyDeleteNot in a bad way! I just wondered where his life takes him next
DeleteSounds like having 3 narrators worked out. Sometimes too many cooks in the kitchen can be a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think it worked well here cos it was different time periods so they never interacted
Delete