Welcome back to another review, and one of the last ones of 2023! How was this year for you? I want to hear that in the comments!
I wanted to quickly introduce you to one novel that really warmed my heart this year, and that is definitely not talked about enough on Booktok or Bookstagram or whatever. It is also set in a really warm climate, so if you’re sensitive to this cold weather we’re having in the Northern hemisphere, then it’s for you!
As his twenty-sixth birthday approaches, Desta Joy Walker finds himself in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the one place he’s been actively avoiding most of his life. For Desta, the East African capital encompasses some of the happiest and saddest parts of his life–his first home and the place where his father died. When an unavoidable work obligation lands him there for twelve weeks, he may finally have a chance for the closure he so desperately needs. What Desta never expected was to catch a glimpse of his future as he reconnects with the beautiful country and his family’s past.
Elias Fikru has never met an opportunity he hasn’t seized. Except, of course, for the life-changing one he’s stubbornly ignored for the past nine months. He’d be a fool not to accept the chance to pursue his doctoral studies in the U.S., but saying yes means leaving his homeland, and Elias isn’t ready to make that commitment. Meeting Desta, the Dominican-American emergency relief worker with the easy smile and sad eyes, makes Elias want things he’s never envisioned for himself. Rediscovering his country through Desta’s eyes emboldens Elias to reach for a future where he can be open about every part of himself. But when something threatens the future that’s within their grasp, Elias and Desta must put it all on the line for love.
Desta’s journey and life are not ones that you hear very often in novels, and let alone queer novels. We have an LGBTQ+ novel set in Ethiopia, with an Ethiopian-American main character that’s incredible in his own way. Desta has been to Ethiopia before, his roots are there and he cares so deeply about the people and the culture, thus already presenting us with an empathetic, generous main character whose main focus is not his own perspective in life.
Perhaps because she knew many readers don’t have much of an idea of Ethiopia, Herrera takes her time crafting the country on page. The landscapes, the people, the traditions and the bustling streets all highlight a different lifestyle and environment that most of us have not experienced. I adore books that go there.
While the novel is a romance, I found it to be much more about connecting to one’s identity and roots. Not in a constrictive way that won’t allow you to grow into the person you’re meant to be, in all your facets, but rather in a way that will allow you to embrace them all, connecting with your past and your future.
LitForQueers 