If You Could Be Mine

Farizan does a decent job of tackling extremely difficult subjects in a setting that will be utterly unfamiliar -- and unthinkably oppressive -- to most Western readers. She shows that regardless of where they live, teens in love are relatively the same the world over, even in places where that love is punishable by death. Protagonist Sahar is extremely smart, but she's also completely sheltered, having lost her mother at a young age and only a grief-stricken father as daily company. And she's in love with her gorgeous and glamorous -- if selfish -- bestie Nasrin.

Neither Sahar nor Nasrin are the most likable characters; they're both flawed in different ways: Sahar is so blinded by her love she's willing to entertain a sex change, even though she doesn't really want to be a man; and Nasrin is spoiled and narcissistic. The characters' shortcomings make the story even more believable, as the narrative would've felt too preachy and obvious if the girls were self-sacrificing martyrs. There aren't any big speeches, and neither girl rails against Islam in the book; but Sahar does make it clear that in a world where being a man gives you more rights, no one -- man or woman -- has the basic freedom of loving whom they please in Iran, and that's a sad fact indeed.