Sahar is a seventeen-year-old Iranian girl in love with her best friend, Nasrin. Nasrin loves Sahar, too, but a same-sex relationship is forbidden in Iran both culturally and by the government. When Nasrin gets engaged to a doctor, Sahar is determined to find a way for she and Nasrin to stay together. She believes she's found the answer when she meets her cousin Ali's friend Parveen, who is transsexual. Although homosexuality is illegal in Iran, transsexuals are considered to have a medical condition and the government supports and funds sexual reassignment surgery. Sahar wants to have surgery and become a man so she and Nasrin can be together. She doesn't feel like she's trapped in the wrong body like other transsexuals she meets, but she's so desperate she's willing to lie as Nasrin's wedding date nears. She’s also naïve until a consultation with a doctor opens her eyes to the reality of what she’s contemplating. Nasrin, too, is naïve—she’s unwilling to give up her life of wealth and privilege and thinks she can marry and still be with Sahar secretly, an idea Sahar finds intolerable. Sara Farizan’s debut novel is an eye-opening look at political and cultural oppression grounded in the story of a believable, likeable, passionate young woman in love. Sahar’s exposure, through her gay cousin, to dimensions of the gay and lesbian culture doesn’t ease her pain but it does help her realize she may not always be alone. (Age 13 and older)

Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult
One of Rolling Stone's 40 Best YA Novels
A 2014 ALA Rainbow List Top 10 Title
A Booklist Top 10 First Novels for Youth 2013
A Chicago Public Library "Best of the Best" 2013

In this stunning debut, a young Iranian American writer pulls back the curtain on one of the most hidden corners of a much-talked-about culture.

Seventeen-year-old Sahar has been in love with her best friend, Nasrin, since they were six. They've shared stolen kisses and romantic promises. But Iran is a dangerous place for two girls in love--Sahar and Nasrin could be beaten, imprisoned, even executed if their relationship came to light.

So they carry on in secret--until Nasrin's parents announce that they've arranged for her marriage. Nasrin tries to persuade Sahar that they can go on as they had before, only now with new comforts provided by the decent, well-to-do doctor Nasrin will marry. But Sahar dreams of loving Nasrin exclusively--and openly.

Then Sahar discovers what seems like the perfect solution. In Iran, homosexuality may be a crime, but to be a man trapped in a woman's body is seen as nature's mistake, and sex reassignment is legal and accessible. As a man, Sahar could be the one to marry Nasrin. Sahar will never be able to love the one she wants in the body she wants to be loved in without risking her life. Is saving her love worth sacrificing her true self?