Nazemian, Abdi. Only This Beautiful Moment. Balzer + Bray, 05/2023. 400pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-0-0630-3937-7. GRADES 9–Adult. OUTSTANDING.
A deftly plotted, multigenerational story of identity and family secrets, Only This Beautiful Moment takes the reader through the lives of three generations of men in the Jafarzadeh family. Following a grandson, father, and grandfather in alternating timelines of 2019, 1973, and 1939, the story jumps between Los Angeles and Iran, exploring sexual identity and homophobia, international politics, and personal struggles. The truly expansive events in the novel range from coming of age in 1970s Los Angeles, to protesting Iranian government policies in 1939, to trying to understand family secrets and contemporary challenges in 2019 Tehran. Nazemian manages to make the characters believable and their lives accessible while holding larger themes of acceptance and understanding in mind as well.
Lesley Mandros Bell—Unaffiliated