Like a Love Story – Abdi Nazemian
Expectation: A sweet but slight coming of age tale set amidst the backdrop of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York City in the late-1980s.
Reality: While there’s a lot of melodrama and the plot is stale, it’s a great introduction to this era in queer history, and the importance of having a gay Iranian lead character cannot be understated.
My Take:
What I enjoyed most about “Like a Love Story” is that it’s an age-appropriate (14+) introduction to one of the most important times in modern queer history. Set in late-1980s/early-1990s in New York City, our characters are in the epicenter of activism and devastation brought about by AIDS.
Through the lens of what we know today, Abdi Nazemian uses Art, Reza and Judy to show readers why organizations like ACT UP were so critical, how we truly lost a generation of people and why we must continue to celebrate progress even when setbacks seem unending.
Each character gets equal billing, which made this a good balance of perspectives even though it did tread in typical YA tropes (more on that later). Ultimately its diverse representation and backdrop helped elevate it among the genre.
The strength of the story lies in Reza, a recent U.S. immigrant whose family is still reeling from having to leave Iran during the revolution. He’s trying to determine where he belongs in the world, both in a newly blended family and as a closeted gay man who wants to start dating but is terrified of HIV/AIDS.
Whether writing from personal experience or simply sharing variations of stories from other Arab Americans, Nazemian brought forward a queer coming of age story like one I’ve never read. Even though my background is different from Reza’s, I found a lot of relatability in his story.
Unfortunately, the rest of the book felt a little stale.
I found Art and Judy to be insufferable on the page, so I switched to audio. The performances by Michael Crouch and Lauren Ambrose helped to bring more heart to the characters than I was getting from the text, but whenever it was Art’s turn in the spotlight I lost interest.
While Judy was given more to work with than being the female best friend of a gay man — she has goals and dreams and her own frustrations and heartaches not related to dating — her plot ran its course about halfway through the story. Art, on the other hand, remained a caricature except for one harrowing scene involving bullying.
I was bothered by the primary issue between Judy and Art that stemmed from them both falling for Reza (narrated by Vikas Adam). Two individuals who understand the fragility of life more than most people at that age so easily giving up on one another because of a misunderstanding they could not control was peak YA manufactured drama.
It’s a shame, too, because so much worked well in this “Love Story,” but I can’t overlook the fact that the plot couldn’t sustain the length. Still, this is a worthwhile read because of its historical significance and inclusive story.
My hope is any reader — young or old — would feel inspired to explore this era further, specifically the art and influence of the frequently name-dropped gay icons (Madonna plays a big role in the plot) and many queer trail blazers that until recently had been forgotten.
As mentioned above, I enjoyed the audiobook more than the text. Lauren Ambrose was an absolute delight as Judy. I couldn't help but picture her character from “Can’t Hardly Wait” as that was Judy’s age in the book. She’s made a career of embodying outsiders who don’t need sympathy, because they know bigger things await them, and she applied that to her performance. Crouch and Adam gave fine performances, but Ambrose was the star here.
Rating (story): 3.5/5 stars
Rating (narration): 4/5 stars
Formats: Hybrid read/listen (personal library/library loan)
Dates read: March 26 – April 15, 2023
Multi-tasking: Good to go. The plot is simple to follow and the narration is well done. It’s ideal for most activities.
