Review: IF YOU COULD BE MINE by Sara Farizan

There is nothing more epic than forbidden love.  But Sara Farizan‘s debut, IF YOU COULD BE MINE, takes the forbidden love trope to a new level — with a dose of reality.

Algonquin Young Readers, August 2013.

Sahar and Nasrin have been in love since they were children.  The two girls have been sneaking around for years, stealing kisses behind closed doors.  If they lived somewhere else, maybe being gay wouldn’t be such a big deal.  But in Iran, it’s not only taboo, but it’s a crime.  Sahar dreams of having a life with Nasrin, but when Nasrin’s parents arrange for her to be married, these dreams fall apart.  If only Sahar were a man, they could be in love in the open.  She could be Nasrin’s betrothed.  And here’s the twist: in Iran, being a man stuck in a woman’s body is considered a medical problem, treatable with surgery and hormones.  Sahar thinks that maybe if she can convince herself — and doctors — that she is a transgendered person, there might be hope for her and Nasrin.  Faced with some of the hardest choices of her life, Sahar has to ask herself: what is the limit of what she’ll do for love?

Set in modern day Iran, IF YOU COULD BE MINE paints a portrait of young women in a country that most Western readers know little about.  And, yet, this is a book that is first and foremost a love story, a story of angst and perseverance in the face of impending tragedy.  It is not only a book about gay teens, but a coming of age story.  This is a book that will surely be collecting awards in the near future.  And it will deserve every one.