Darius the Great Is Not Okay

Darius the Great Is Not Okay is a coming-of-age novel by Iranian American writer Adib Khorram. Originally published in 2018 by Dial Books, the novel echoes Khorram’s experiences growing up in a multiethnic family with a history of mental illnesses. The book, which is Khorram’s first, won the William C. Morris YA Debut Award in 2019 and is a popular BookTok read. A sequel entitled Darius the Great Deserves Better was published in August 2020. 

Content Warning: The source material and this guide include discussions of mental illness and suicidal ideation.

Plot Summary

Darius Kellner is a high school sophomore in Portland, Oregon; his little sister Laleh is in second grade. Their mother, Shirin, is an Iranian immigrant to the US, while their father, Stephen, is of European descent. Darius’s ethnicity, weight, and clinical depression make him a target at school, and his home life isn’t much better; although his father is also living with depression, he is often critical of Darius in ways that lead Darius to believe his father sees his struggles as his own fault.

The Kellners observe many Persian customs and holidays and regularly video chat with Shirin’s relatives in Yazd. After one such call, Darius learns that his grandfather Ardeshir has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. As a result, the Kellners decide to visit the family in Iran—a country Darius and his sister have never seen.

Upon arriving in Iran, Darius finds himself still struggling to fit in; unlike Laleh, he doesn’t speak Farsi, and his grandfather doesn’t understand why he takes medication for his depression. However, Darius soon meets Sohrab—the teenage son of a neighbor—and feels an instant connection to him. Sohrab is Bahá'í—a persecuted religion in Iran—and consequently understands what it’s like to be an outsider. He and Darius quickly become inseparable, with Sohrab reintroducing Darius to soccer, accompanying him on family trips to famous sites like Persepolis, and joining in holidays like Nowruz. Gradually, Darius begins to feel more at home and opens up to Sohrab about his depression and insecurities (particularly where his father is concerned). Meanwhile, Darius’s grandfather’s condition is deteriorating; he sometimes forgets where he is, or he has violent mood swings.

Shortly before the Kellners are scheduled to leave, Darius goes to Sohrab’s house to find him and his mother in tears; Sohrab’s father, who was arrested following the 2009 protests, was killed in prison. When he learns that Darius brought him a pair of cleats as a parting gift, Sohrab lashes out, angrily accusing him of being selfish for wanting to play soccer. Darius runs off in tears and is eventually found by his father, who consoles him, explaining for the first time why he has seemed to be so hard on Darius: Darius’s father was once suicidal, and he worries that Darius might experience the same tendencies if he doesn’t keep his depression tightly in check.

The night before the Kellners leave, Sohrab comes by and apologizes. He and Darius reaffirm their friendship and promise to remain in touch. After returning to America, Darius finds his life has changed for the better: One of his former bullies reaches out to him; his gym teacher encourages him to try out for the school soccer team; and he is much closer to his father, who in turn strives to be more supportive of his son.