This is the first book in my sponsored read. I am reading one YA book a week in memory of my brother, Matt, who passed away in August 2018. I am raising money for a charity close to him and our family. More details can be found here: https://bit.ly/2NeAetH or on social media using #ReadingForMatt Darius Kellner is about to take his first trip to Iran to see his grandparents and other members of his extended family. His grandfather is suffering from a brain tumour, Darius has only met him over Skype. Darius, along with his father, are also struggling with diagnosed depression and take medication for this. Darius feels guilty because, as he said, "nothing bad has ever happened to me", he just knows his brain sometimes tells him things he shouldn't think. When he gets to Iran he meets a boy named Sohrab, who calls him Darioush. Sohrab is like no one Darius has ever met, he doesn't make fun of him, he is respectful and thoughtful. Sohrab is dealing with a major family trauma in that his father was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Together they play soccer, eat delicious Persian food and keep each other afloat. Darius also learns to communicate with his father, Darius feels his father wishes he was more "normal" and would just "snap out of it" even though he takes medication for his own depression. As Darius tries to navigate his own depression and his family, the looming date to leave Iran and Sohrab is closing in. Darius must decide who he wants to be and try to learn to be happy in this world. I really loved this novel, I connected with it on many levels - down to playing Rook with my friends, trying to communicate with different members of my family and living with a family member who was depressed, restless and out of place. It's the prefect novel for anyone who feels like they don't belong & I'm very glad I chose it for my first book in this sponsored read!
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