Darius the Great is Not Okay, by Adir Khorram

This novel was hard to find but easy to read.

Its title and description intrigued me, but I was unable to find it for three years in my bookstore visits, I finally asked and realized it was a Young Adult novel, and thus in that section.

Who knew?

Anyway, Khorram's little gem of a book -- which gets better with every page, and wraps up with a strong, emotional finish -- has a lot to teach us. He delves into Iranian culture. He explores mental health issues, specifically depression. He discusses being bullied and not fitting in. He touches on living with a loved one who has depression, and the emotional toll it takes on everyone.

Whew. That's a lot for a Young Adult novel to take on. But Khorram does it, and he does it well.

Darius Kellner -- the protagonist and narrator -- is the son of a immigrant woman, Shirin, from Iran, and a white guy from the United States, living in Portland, Ore., attending his local high school. He tries to accept parts of his heritage but pales in comparison to his younger sister, Leleh's, knowledge and love of it. He calls himself a Fractional Persian.

Both Darius and his father suffer from depression. Darius is overweight, not active, and has few friends. He thinks his father criticizes him and blames him for being bullied. He derides him as a Paragon of Teutonic Masculinity. (Yes, in capital letter.)

While he does not get along with his father, he cherises the one thing they share -- their nightly watching of Star Trek reruns.

The background is a setup to the family's first visit to Shirin's hometown of Yazd, Iran. There, Shirin's father is dying of a brain tumor.

Once there, Darius enter a world unlike his own. He realizes he loves his grandparents. He learns about Iran's history, especially that of his namesake, and enjoys being called by the Iranian pronunciation, Darioush. But he also realizes that as an American who doesn't speak the language, he still doesn't fit it.

Then he meets a neighborhood boy, Sohrab. They quickly become friends. Darious is overjoyed that he has found a friend, someone who wants to be his friend. It's an unknown feeling for him, and Darius must also learn the differing ways men and boys relate to each other in Iran than they do in the United States. It makes him uncomfortable at times, but also content with their closeness.

Their relationship, along with some surprising revelations from his father, helps change Darius.

There is a second book in the series, Darius the Great Deserves Better. It's in the TBR Stack.