This book is hard to talk about—hard to even read. In the best way possible. It was extremely well written in a contemporary sense, with the nerve and attitude of protagonist Cyrus, an Iranian-American addict-alcoholic gay-straight muslim-nonmuslim. There are so many themes and layers and poetry woven into the book, it's so difficult for me to break down. I'm still digesting it all. This book meant so much to me as a queer muslim/nonmuslim/tentative muslim, a person who has the great privilege to be able to say I have the same relationship that Cyrus and Zee do. The ambiguity and lack of bounds—the humanness of all the characters, the immigrants of colour, old and young, experiencing queerness in all senses of the word, it was beautiful and so refreshing. I don't speak Farsi but having Persian roots in my own mother tongue also further pulled me into the book, its world and Cyrus' culture.

The ending was perfect. Horribly gut wrenching, with perfect ambiguity. What happened to Zee like, ten chapters ago? Kaveh Akbar is insane and this book will never leave my mind, I think.

Akbar's outlook on humanity, purpose, martyrdom, sexuality, love, discrimination, *everything*.. honestly changed me for the better.