Can’t-Wait Wednesday: “Darius the Great is Not Okay” by Adib Khorram

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted Tressa at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted Jill at Breaking the Spine.

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This is going to be a quick one because I have to hurry to work. Nope, not running late but I just always make it a point to be at the clinic at least 15 minutes earlier before my shift that way shift change endorsements are done just before my colleague’s shift ends. Traffic’s always mad crazy in the city and I want her to go home earlier, or at least clock out on time. It’s a little favor we all do for one another at work, and trust me, it makes working a very stressful job a wee bit easier.

Anyway, back to the topic of books. I’m currently reading this week’s CWW pick alongside Annie Sullivan’s A Touch of Gold, and I got to say I’m enjoying the first few chapters of it I already finished.

Darius doesn’t think he’ll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Hilarious and heartbreaking, this unforgettable debut introduces a brilliant new voice in contemporary YA.

Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s about to take his first-ever trip to Iran, and it’s pretty overwhelming–especially when he’s also dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving dad, and a chronically anemic social life. In Iran, he gets to know his ailing but still formidable grandfather, his loving grandmother, and the rest of his mom’s family for the first time. And he meets Sohrab, the boy next door who changes everything.

Sohrab makes sure people speak English so Darius can understand what’s going on. He gets Darius an Iranian National Football Team jersey that makes him feel like a True Persian for the first time. And he understand that sometimes, best friends don’t have to talk. Darius has never had a true friend before, but now he’s spending his days with Sohrab playing soccer, eating rosewater ice cream, and sitting together for hours in their special place, a rooftop overlooking the Yazdi skyline.

Sohrab calls him Darioush–the original Persian version of his name–and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he’s Darioush to Sohrab. When it’s time to go home to America, he’ll have to find a way to be Darioush on his own.

Darius the Great is Not Okay has been a funny read so far. I love Darius’ wit and sarcasm, and can’t wait to get to know his character more. This one is releasing at the end of this month, August 28, but I’ll try to write up a review for it once I finish it. Maybe this weekend? Not sure, but at the pace I’m going, I think I’m all good.

That’s it for me today. I hope all of you are doing fine this mid-week.

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What book/s are you excited for this week