How It All Blew Up
Sept 2020 · Bonnier Zaffre Ltd.
4.2star
4 reviewsreport
eBook
272
Pages
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About this eBook
Arvin Ahmadi has written a novel that is authentic, hilarious and heart-wrenching all at once. A unique point of view combined with riveting storytelling, How It All Blew Up will grab you from the first page and won't let go - Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE HATE U GIVE and ON THE COME UP
Eighteen-year-old Amir Azadi always knew that coming out to his Muslim family would be messy, but he wasn't expecting it to end in an airport interrogation room. Now, he's telling his side of the story to the stern-faced officer.
Amir has to explain why he ran away to Rome (boys, bullies, blackmail) and what he was doing there for a month (dates in the Sistine Chapel, friends who helped him accept who he is, and, of course, drama) . . . all while his mum, dad and little sister are being interrogated in the room next door.
A nuanced take on growing up brown, Muslim and gay in today's America, HOW IT ALL BLEW UP is the story of one boy's struggle to come out to his family, and how that painful process exists right alongside his silly, sexy romp through Italy.
Eighteen-year-old Amir Azadi always knew that coming out to his Muslim family would be messy, but he wasn't expecting it to end in an airport interrogation room. Now, he's telling his side of the story to the stern-faced officer.
Amir has to explain why he ran away to Rome (boys, bullies, blackmail) and what he was doing there for a month (dates in the Sistine Chapel, friends who helped him accept who he is, and, of course, drama) . . . all while his mum, dad and little sister are being interrogated in the room next door.
A nuanced take on growing up brown, Muslim and gay in today's America, HOW IT ALL BLEW UP is the story of one boy's struggle to come out to his family, and how that painful process exists right alongside his silly, sexy romp through Italy.
Ratings and reviews
4.2
4 reviews
Komal Rani
- Flag inappropriate
7 October 2020
This book follows 18-year-old Amir who is being blackmailed for being gay. His fear of being exposed to his Muslim family and not being accepted for who he is,end up leading him to run away to Italy on the day of his graduation. I thought that the premise for this book was really interesting and had a lot of potential, and I especially liked the travel aspect in this book and also enjoyed Soraya's perspective, who is his sister, throughout the novel. However, I felt that the writing lacked depth and so found it difficult to feel invested in the novel and didn't feel connected with any of the characters even Amir. But it is really fast-paced and easy to read, so if the book sounds interesting to you I would still recommend giving it a go.
About the author
Arvin Ahmadi is the author of two previous critically-acclaimed novels, Down and Across (2018) and Girl Gone Viral (2019). He grew up outside Washington DC, graduated from Columbia University, and worked in the tech industry prior to becoming a full-time writer. When he's not reading or writing books, he can be found watching late-night talk-show interviews and editing Wikipedia pages. He lives in New York City.
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