Spotlight

Only This Beautiful Moment, Abdi Nazemian (2023)

In 2019 Los Angeles, Moud is living a good life as an out gay teen, even if he lives with a distant Iranian-born father, and in the shadow of his loud-and-proud boyfriend who has strong opinions about everything. But when Moud goes to Iran to say goodbye to his dying grandfather, three generations of family stories and secrets spill out, and he discovers there is more to the Iran than its government, and more to his Persian culture — and to his family — than he had ever imagined.

This is one of the best books I have read this year, and one the most powerful and important YA books I’ve ever read. So much that’s wrong in our current cultural moment is a need for narratives to be simple, with everything cast in black and white, with no shades of grey allowed. This is a book that not only allows, but celebrates the fact that life is complicated and multi-coloured. It is unabashedly gay and unabashedly Persian and even when it’s hard, it is a celebration of love, joy, and the power of family.

Read this if you’re interested in:

• Young Adult Literature
• Persian Culture
• LGBTQ2S+ Stories
• Iranian Revolution
• Old Hollywood

My Rating: Premise 10, Atmosphere 8, Main Character(s) 10, Plot 10, Intrigue 10, Relationships 10, Success 10, Writing 8, Enjoyment 10, Lasting Impact 10: TOTAL 96

Weekly Roundup

Brighton Rock, Graham Greene (1938), 92: A teenager steps into leadership of a gang in 1930s Brighton, but his leadership is quickly tested by rival gangs, unexpected witnesses, faltering loyalties, his teenage insecurities, and his dormant Roman Catholic faith. I’m not generally a fan of gang- or organized crime-related stories, so I was very surprised by how much I appreciated this. The way Greene interweaves confidence and insecurity, innocence and ruthlessness, and intelligence and cluelessness is particularly remarkable. (England, Organized Crime, Youth Violence, Christianity, Faith, Roman Catholicism)

Flamer, Mike Curato (2020), 92: A teenager struggles to belong at scout camp as he also begins to navigate his changing feelings towards a close friend, and what those feelings may say about him. This took a while to get going for me, but the second half was really strong. Not only is this a good graphic novel, but it’s an important one — the kind of story that can make struggling kids feel less alone, and maybe even same lives. (Graphic Novel, YA, LGBTQ2S+, Mental Health, Belonging)

B-Boy Blues (B-Boy Blues 1), James Earl Hardy (1994), 87: This no-holds-barred, no-punches-pulled exploration of the intersection of Black and Gay identities in New York City in the mid-1990s follows a fraught love affair between Mitch, a highly-decorated journalist still struggling to be taken seriously as a Black man in the white collar world, and Raheim, a rough-around-the-edges courier. This is a remarkable book — particularly as a witness to a particular subculture and moment in time; a moment that seems particularly prescient thirty years later. That said, I had some issues with the plotting and was bored for much of it; but, the ending definitely stuck the landing in a way that made the journey worth while. (1990s, African American Experience, LGBTQ2S+, Identity, Intersectionality, Masculinity)

Thrown Off the Ice, Taylor Fitzpatrick (2018), 87: Veteran enforcer Mike’s life changes twice in the span of two years: first, when a hotshot rookie takes a liking to him in all the ways he knows he should resist; and second, when a concussion forces him into early retirement. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book with as jarring difference between its first and second halves as this one. The first half is a very spicy MM romance (which actually bends significantly into the erotica end of that genre’s spectrum); the second half is a tragic story of a still young man who struggles to deal with losing everything important to him. I’m of two feelings about this; on the one hand, it really feels like two completely different books in a way that makes it not hold together super well; on the other hand, it really wonderfully demonstrates just how quickly and drastically a life can change. After all, lots of stories in life start as romances and end as tragedies. (LGBTQ2S+, Hockey, Mental Health, Post-Concussion Syndrome, Degenerative Illness)

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls, Cherie Dimaline (2023), 80: A Toronto teenager raised in a cemetery accidentally starts rumours of it being haunted, attracting unwanted attention, including from a scheming cousin — and an actual ghost. This is a solid YA novel that deftly tackles a set of related themes surrounding loss, including the complicated grief of a parent one never met, the loss of friendship, the loss of ‘home’, and the displacement of Indigenous identity for those living in predominantly settler communities. (YA, Indigenous Identity, Grief and Loss, Paranormal, LGBTQ2S+)

The Gay Best Friend, Nicolas DiDomizio (2023), 78: Drama of all kinds ensues when Domenic, fresh off the break up of his engagement to his boyfriend of six years, is thrust in the middle of his best friends’ wedding — and their relationship problems. I enjoyed this, but found there to be too much of a mismatch between the book’s light tone and some of the heavy themes it tries to tackle. Also, the characters were all so immature I didn’t want any of them within five miles of a wedding. Overall, this is a harmless, light read, perfect for a Summer afternoon, but missed the mark for me in the bigger issues. (Weddings, Friendship, Class, Conflict, LGBTQ2S+, the Closet)

Mouth to Mouth, Antoine Wilson (2022), 75: During a flight delay, a man tells an old college acquaintance about the surprising events precipitated by his saving a drowning man’s life. I loved the premise of this and was immediately sucked in by Wilson’s writing style. But, I was so incredibly disappointed by the pay off. Of all the places this could have gone, it’s mind-boggling to me that this is the place it chose to go. (Fate, Turning Points, Art, Confession)