This book sucked me in and didn't let go until I finished reading. The prose was beautifully written, and the story was thought provoking. I will be honest, this was still kind of difficult to rate though. There were times the prose became too abstract or wasn't clear that the writing had shifted to a thought instead of the main plot. It made it tricky for me to know what was going on at all times. The 1st person narration from the main character can be kind of intense sometimes. He's quite a sexual person, so I felt some of that inner dialogue had some moments that were a bit uncomfortable. It had me wondering how much he really loved the person he was with instead of just feeling lust. That being said, I did enjoy this book. I do think literary fiction readers will likely love it as well. The story was incredibly emotional and tragic. This was my first LGBTQIA book based in Iran. It was hard to read about the reality for queer people living there where it is more culturally acceptable to come out as transgender than to be in a same sex relationship. Definitely feel it is important to continue to read about and listen to people experiencing this in other cultures.

A dark and compelling look at the perils of being your true self in Iran. Zal and Anjir have been committed to one another since their youth but Zal first married Mahtob and then later was seen with a younger man, putting their plan to move to Isfahan where they hope to live as man and wife after Anjir transitions. But Zal disappears and Anjir must hunt for him through the nightmare. This incorporates myth and Persian cultural mores in a way which Impresses. If the prose feels purple in spots, remember the Persian respect for poetry. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of literary fiction.

This was a tough one for me. I liked the writing, the imagery, and the exposure to the brutal anti-LGBTQ culture of Iran. The book felt like a nightmare from beginning to end. The story is told from Anjir's point of view in present tense and his lover, Zal, is always addressed in second person.

The plot seemed drawn from US noir novels and films from the 1940's. There is much lying, cheating, murdering and other violence going on--and that seemed to take away from the main plot concern--how do two men who love each other (do they?) survive under extreme religious oppression. No one here is innocent. The bleakness and cynicism may work for some. For me, the author focused too much on mythical parallels (Tiresias is the main one) and fate. I ended up not caring about any of the characters and confused as to the point of the overly-convoluted plot. What could have been an excellent study of two gay men living under an oppressive regime got lost along the way.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

I reached for this title because I wanted to branch out and read more literary fiction. I filed it as a DNF, because I think "difficult" queer books are just not my thing - I'm a gay who likes happy gays - but as a bookseller I absolutely endorse this Medusa of the Roses.

As a lover of sad books, I found "Medusa of the Roses" to be an 'enjoyable' read.

This is a lyrical story that follows Anjir, a gay man in Iran. We focus on Anjir, as he discovers both his partner's infidelity and their attack on the same night, unraveling the story and actions that led to that moment as we read through. Sinaki creates a captivating world where the past and present meet, highlighting the persecution faced by queer and trans people in modern-day Iran.

The main character's journey is deeply engaging. The author’s poetic and descriptive language bringing the story to life, making it feel both magical and real. Some readers might find the heavy use of metaphor and symbolism a bit much, but for me, it was beautifully curated.

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Please check the tws before reading this book as it deals with some distressing themes.

Not really sure how I feel after reading this book.

Zal and Anjir were just boys when they became friends. That friendship grew into love, until Zal married a woman. In Iran, being gay could get you killed. So Zal would sneak away from his wife for precious weekends with Anjir. But when Zal was attacked by a group of men when he was caught with another man, Anjir is devastated. When Zal gets out of the hospital, Anjir nurses him back to health.

That's when Anjir decides to make plans for their future by undergoing surgery to become a woman. Then they wouldn't have to hide their relationship anymore. But when Zal leaves Anjir's place with a cryptic note that he doesn't understand, he starts looking for him everywhere. Soon Anjir's being followed but has no idea as to why.

"Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

This was extremely literary. The writing style at times reminded me of a noir film. The author is a filmmaker and poet and that comes through pretty strongly. While we are following Anjir in the forward plot, he often goes spiraling down memories of his and Zal’s lives. We get to see their whole relationship through things that remind him of Zal, usually of a sexual situation.

All of the murder and thrillery stuff happens very quickly near the end, though Anjir has been investigating the whole time. The whole story is tragic, and no one in this book, except for Anjir’s mom, is likeable. Myths were promised and delivered in vague terms through Anjir’s conversations with his mother who has suffered a TBI. Less myth and more noir tragedy?

I was hoping this would be for me, but it wasn't quite. The writing was beautiful and tragic but the format of the story wasn't one that I gravitate toward.

Wow! So beautiful! I had to force myself to slow down reading this one. I wanted to see what was going to happen next. It got a little rocky there around the 80% mark to the point I thought was reading a different book, but it recovered with that ending. Just so beautiful!

Thank you NetGalley, Navid Sinaki, and Grove Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Medusa of the Roses by Navid Sinaki releases August 13, 2024!

I was really sucked in at the beginning of this book. The writing and the characters were instantly compelling. But I found as it reached the halfway point the story started to drag and the characters grew to be more frustrating and the writing more confounding. At such a short length it's tough to feel a book is dragging. While it illustrates a life and oxymoron of policy that many are trapped to abide, the characters here did not carry enough to keep the story interesting. When the final act came, the more thrilling scenes felt dropped in from a completely different story. All together, I found the book confusing and disappointing.

I thought this book was brilliant! I didn't know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. Great debut. Looking forward to teaching this along some Greek Mythology.

This was a thriller, but it was also literary and thought provoking. I really enjoyed the diversity in characters and getting a glimpse of a culture different from my own. At times this was a bit too confusing and literary for me, but I really enjoyed the time spent.

I would recommend looking into triggers, and there was a lot of focus on sexual acts. This isn’t really a negative but something I want to mention so you know going in case it is something that bothers you.

I got this digital copy for free from NetGalley, and really appreciate the chance to read it early.

This is an interesting and confident debut, a queer noir set in Tehran. The references to Greek and Persian mythology and classical Hollywood films built in a sense of allegory and unreality that contributed to the sense of dread. Anjir is a compelling narrator, amoral and driven by fear. The depiction of LGBTQ+ lives in Iran was sensitive and illuminating. Unfortunately, I found the other characters underdeveloped, and the noir plot that kicks off the novel comes in and out of focus in a way that I found a bit frustrating. I wish it had been a bit more evenly paced and more tightly plotted, as everything sort of explodes at the end in a melodramatic fashion that felt at odds with the slow drip of dread that characterizes the rest of the novel. More atmosphere would also have helped make this one a truly effective literary thriller. This wasn’t my favourite, but I would be interested in reading more of Sinaki’s work.

thank you netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book!
this is a great debut as far as they go and i did really enjoy it!

This novel was truly excellent, The prose was spare and beautiful and yet the novel had a sustained power and tension that was almost unbearable. The characters contemplate love and obsession, desire and identity against the backdrop of modern Iran, where homosexuals are discriminated against and brutalised. This novel doesn't provide easy answers, none of the characters are wholly good but they feel more realistic for that. This will be my first choice for a book club book when it's released, there is just so much to be explored and appreciated.

The writing was very confusing for me, hard to keep track of what was happening and which charcter was in the spotlight, I am sad to say it was very hard for me to get through this book.

What happens when you live in a world where it is dangerous to be who you are? Dangerous meaning that you risk your life to be alive? To even exist? When you suppress parts of your identity, they implode and explode in flourishings that carry you for the rest of your life.

Sinaki has a poet's tongue, skillful in the way he mixes memories with metaphor, every action is an art:

"𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦? 𝘐 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘐 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱. 𝘈 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴𝘦. 𝘛𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘬𝘦. 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘡𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴, 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘐 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦."

And it's beautiful to see love like this.
It's beautiful to see yearning like this.

It's beautiful in the ways when under oppression comes a suppression that falls hard on itself to allow you to touch more finely, more intentionally. Sinaki creates music out of touch, creates song from a kiss. Sex as symphony. Sex, also, as a ways of survival for the queer body in this respect.

For those that enjoy poetry and prose in the novel form, this one is meant to captivate.

𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪-𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘦, "𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳?"
𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦: 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵.

This is an incredibly beautiful book that shines a spotlight on the persecution faced by queer and trans people in modern-day Iran. Though there are moments of laugh-out-loud wit, it is overall a quite dark and somber book, so I think you need to be in the right mood to enjoy this one. The plot progresses slowly at the beginning before sharply escalating toward the end of the book. The prose is absolutely gorgeous, and the way the author draws parallels between ancient myths and the book’s characters will delight mythology fans. I love books that pull me out of my world and into another culture, and I enjoyed the dynamic and stereotype-defying characters.

Overall, this story was masterfully told and I would definitely recommend it to lovers of lit fic.

DNF @ 52%
This is very boring for a mystery/thriller. The main character is the most passive character; he doesn’t do anything and he doesn’t even have anything to say, really. The mythology element is hardly there, and the roses and snakes motif is almost to the point of overkill.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC!

Anjir and Zal are childhood best friends who discovered their sexuality together and have grown into adult lovers. But in Tehran, being openly gay is an offense punishable by death, both in the actual law and the law of society. Zal has married a woman but the pair have long dreamed of escaping Iran to be together. Medusa of the Roses picks up as their plan might finally become reality.

The ups and downs of their complicated relationship is told as a noir. I rate it a 3--it's really more of a 3.5. I loved the journey of the story and the way it was told, but the ending came on too quickly and became rather trite. I'm owing some of this to playing into the cheesy side of a noir, but it just didn't fit the rest of the book.

thank you netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book!
this is a great debut as far as they go
zal and anjir are everything honestly, reading about their troubles and tribulations in modern day iran is honestly eye opening. excited to see more