Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian

Abdi Nazemian’s book Like A Love Story is one of my all time favorite books, and ever since Abdi Nazemian is an autobuy author for me. And yet again, Abdi Nazemian has written a beautiful, heartfelt and intriguing story with wonderful characters told in three parallel stories by the POVs of each of the three generations of men in the same family, that come together in the end to give the main characters understanding and closure for each other and the mistakes made and the losses they’ve suffered in their lives.

This book follows three men – the grandfather Bobby/Babak, the father Saeed, and the son Moud – from the 1930s Hollywood to the 1970s Theran until today’s Los Angeles, and shows how the past is always connected with the present, and how actions and decisions made a long time ago affects generations to come. Moud is an out gay teen, who lives alone with distant a father, who doesn’t seem to be able to fully accept Moud for who he is, and who lives a closed-off life after the death of his wife. But as the story evolves, it becomes clear that Saeed has had his own struggles, and not the least how Babak’s life and struggles has affected the following generations.

These three characters and their friends and loved ones are what made the story! I adored every single one of them as the story unfolded. Abdi Nazemian described them with such integrity and empathy, allowing them to be real, with flaws and less likeable traits. I also loved the side characters, especially Ava in Iran. The only characters I immediately took a dislike to was the obnoxious, self-righteous know-it-all Shane (not until the end, when he kind of changed to the better) and of course, Babak’s horrible mother.

I loved the insights into Iranian life and culture throughout the three generations and the amazing character growth of both Moud and his father Saeed. But my absolute favorite of all was Babak and his amazing life journey of self-discovery, curiosity, bravery and his ongoing support for the queer community. He was such a kind and truly good man. I would have loved to get to know his father a little more, since he seemed the be the reason that Babak could find the right path in life, but maybe he will have a story of his own sometime later…

The way Abdi Nazemian writes is simply amazing (and one of the reasons I love all his books). He sure has a way with words, and managed to make all of the characters fully fleshed out and relatable, and tell the story in such a beautiful, almost poetic way. Just like his previous books, Only This Beautiful Moment was such a fast and intense read. All of the three stories completely pulled me in and I felt like I was flying through the pages.

All in all, Only This Beautiful Moment was a wonderful, gripping, enlightening and emotional story with the important message to value the beauty in life and live your life to the fullest! 

Rating:
5 stars

Get your own copy:
Amazon

​Author info:
Abdi Nazemian