BOOK REVIEW: Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions

 

RAMIN ABBAS HAS MAJOR QUESTIONS
by Ahmad Saber
Available March 3

Faith is extremely important to Ramin Abbas and his family, to the point that he and his brother go to an all-Muslim high school. Ramin values his relationship with Allah, but he's conflicted. He loves to listen to music, especially the Wicked soundtrack. He can't understand how a God depicted as forgiving could threaten humanity with all the punishments in the Quran. And — worst of all — he likes boys.

So far, Ramin has pushed it all down, focusing on his faith and his commitment to getting into a good medical school. But everything threatens to fall apart when he must join the school soccer team to make up his physical education credits at the last minute. While that means more time with his secret crush, it also means he's firmly in the sights of his long-time bully, who wants revenge on the team. If Ramin doesn't promise to throw the game, his secret could be out to his deeply religious teachers and classmates. As he navigates the seemingly disparate aspects of his life, a growing friendship with two classmates helps him put things in perspective.

As someone who's more educated in Orthodox Christianity than Muslim beliefs, I appreciated how up front this book was about certain topics: division of the sexes, prayer times, and whether listening to music actually is haram. Most of all, though, I appreciated that this was a story about someone who wants and values a relationship with God. A lot of narratives throw faith under the bus entirely, and for some readers that may be relatable or what they need or want to see. But it's wonderful to read a book populated by legitimately, wholeheartedly spiritual people trying to make sense of themselves in the human world.

Also, as someone from a Lebanese family, I was wild for the vivid food descriptions. Not a deep observation, but something that made me feel very much at home.

TEA PAIRING: Caramel Cabin
Later in the book, Ramin finds a second family with twin brothers Omar and Mahir and their parents. That open coziness, as well as the description of an amazing toffee pudding, puts me in mind of this sweet fall blend. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other book-inspired teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!