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A review by claudiaslibrarycard
Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Only This Beautiful Moment is an immersive and beautifully layered story of three young men finding their way through queerness and cultural expectations. This is the third book I have read by Abdi Nazemian, and I have loved each of them tremendously. This may even be my favorite. It is perfectly written, with deep character development and beautiful descriptions, and a pace that keeps you in the story every step of the way.
In this book, we learn about Moud an out teenage boy in LA in 2019, Saeed in 1978 living in Tehran, and Bobby in 1939 who is in love with his tennis partner while under contract with MGM. Each young man is struggling to find their place in the world and with relationships with their family. It is unclear at the beginning how the stories are related, and I love how Nazemian gradually brought the timelines together and showed the interconnectedness of our humanity.
I lost count of how many poignant statements I highlighted in this book, including many quotes from Persian poets. It is really one of the most beautiful family dramas I have read in any age category. This is YA, but don't let that deter you. This story of intergenerational trauma and sincere healing is heartfelt and just right- respectful of cultural differences and the universal truth that we are all worthy of love and deserve to love in any way we choose. I will be singing about this book for a long time to come and I'm begging you to put it on your TBR and read it as soon as you can! Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
In this book, we learn about Moud an out teenage boy in LA in 2019, Saeed in 1978 living in Tehran, and Bobby in 1939 who is in love with his tennis partner while under contract with MGM. Each young man is struggling to find their place in the world and with relationships with their family. It is unclear at the beginning how the stories are related, and I love how Nazemian gradually brought the timelines together and showed the interconnectedness of our humanity.
I lost count of how many poignant statements I highlighted in this book, including many quotes from Persian poets. It is really one of the most beautiful family dramas I have read in any age category. This is YA, but don't let that deter you. This story of intergenerational trauma and sincere healing is heartfelt and just right- respectful of cultural differences and the universal truth that we are all worthy of love and deserve to love in any way we choose. I will be singing about this book for a long time to come and I'm begging you to put it on your TBR and read it as soon as you can! Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.