Book Review: "Like a Love Story" by Abdi Nazemian
“Like a Love Story” by Abdi Nazemian
Synopsis: It’s 1989 in New York City, and for three teens, the world is changing.
Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He’s terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he’s gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media’s images of men dying of AIDS.
Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance...until she falls for Reza and they start dating.
Art is Judy’s best friend, their school’s only out and proud teen. He’ll never be who his conservative parents want him to be, so he rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through his photographs.
As Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won’t break Judy’s heart—and destroy the most meaningful friendship he’s ever known.
This is a bighearted, sprawling epic about friendship and love and the revolutionary act of living life to the fullest in the face of impossible odds.—HarperCollins
Rating (out of 5): 4.5
Trigger Warnings: homophobia, HIV/AIDS, bullying
Review: Oh wow, everyone needs to read this. I found this on a browsing whim at The Strand (only a day after Elizabeth and Shannon bought about twenty books combined there). I only occasionally browse the Young Adult section, but I’m so glad I discovered this gem.
I have tortured myself by reading a fair amount of novels about the early years of HIV/AIDS, most notably Rebecca Makkai’s incredible The Great Believers, which emotionally destroyed me for any other book for a solid month. I was interested to see how a YA novel would tackle such a heavy topic, and this didn’t disappoint.
Reza, a young Iranian immigrant, has such a lovable and powerful voice that we feel immediately connected to him, even though he is walled-off and reveals very little about his inner life to his new friends: Judy and Art. Judy is a whipsmart and vibrant, if insecure, teenager who adores her Uncle Stephen, who has late-stage AIDS. Art is the school’s only out student, and is brash and strident. As Judy and Reza build a romance, Reza must risk their friendship to be true to his feelings for Art.
One powerful through-line in the book is Stephen’s relationships with the the three teens, particularly with his niece. His mentorship (including getting them all involved in ACT UP!) leaves an indelible mark on all of them. Though we know from the beginning what his fate is likely to be, he leaves a legacy that truly shapes Art, Judy, and Reza’s futures.
I haven’t seen such a good portrayal of the complications of teen relationships, where every emotion is amplified x1000, in quite a while. It’s easy to relate to Judy’s feelings of betrayal and abandonment, Art’s rage against his parents, and Reza’s fear of revealing himself.
I devoured this book in a day, and I sincerely hope that you give it a try as well!
TL;DR: YA romance with broad adult appeal. Heavy issues well-handled. A beautiful picture of pre-Giuliani NY. Please, please read it!
If you liked this, try these:
“The Great Believers” by Rebecca Makkai
“Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli
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