Amir always knew he was gay, but he also knew his Muslim family would never accept it. So he kept that part of him hidden, hoping that he can just coast until he can go away to college, where he can finally be himself.
At a new high school, when he meets a fellow student who’s also hiding his true self, he falls hard. But faced with blackmail and his parents discovering his secret, he does the only thing he can think of—he runs away. On the day of his high school graduation. To Rome. (Because of gelato, of course.)
Soon he finds himself with a group of friends in Rome, including some American expatriates. They accept him for the person he really is—or at least what he tells them—and he discovers what it’s like to feel free for the first time, to feel as if you had the opportunity to choose your family rather than be born into one. But amidst late nights drinking and kisses in the Sistine Chapel, he can’t ignore his family or the truth they all most confront.
When everything comes to a head in a messy altercation on an airplane, Amir and his family tell their story in the most unlikely of places—in airport interrogation rooms. Alternately heartbreaking and hopeful, funny and emotional, How It All Blew Up was such a great story.
Although he was a little naive at times, Amir was a terrific character, caught between his fears and his desire to be his authentic self. His family’s reactions weren’t always what I wanted but they seemed authentic.
I really loved this!
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