Mitra is a young teen and new student at her Catholic school. Even though her family is Iranian and practices Islam, the school shows promise for her and her younger sister Azar. After all, they need a fresh start, relocating after years of their mother’s drug addiction. On her first day, she can’t help but notice a curly-haired, cool-looking girl seated not far from her. After an awkward self-introduction to the class, Bea reaches out to Mitra and an instant friendship forms. Fast-forward five years later, and the girls are in their senior year of high school and preparing for life ahead. What Bea doesn’t know is that Mitra is in love with her. But Mitra keeps it a secret due to the fear of unrequited feelings, or worse – the end of their friendship. Just Another Epic Love Poem by Parisa Akhbari is a coming-of-age queer romance novel in which Bea and Mitra navigate a new meaning of the word “love”.
Book
Upon first meeting at age 13, Bea and Mitra created The Book – a notebook filled with a never-ending poem that they take turns writing in. It’s a place where the girls can fully express themselves, transcending years of friendship and growth. And while the best friends spend much of their time together, Mitra knows that Bea is still hung up on her ex Cara. The breakup changed their close circle of friends, but Mitra and Bea still have each other. And Mitra can’t help but obsess over whether Bea will ever love her the way she loved her ex. When the girls sign up for a Poetry Seminar, all of their friends sign up as well – including Cara. This certainly is a form of torture for Bea – and in some ways, for Mitra as well.
Aside from being in love, Mitra is also dealing with the news that her mother is moving closer to her family in hopes to reconnect after working on her disease. Azir wants to have a relationship with her, but Mitra can’t bring herself to trust her and let her in again. After all, Mitra was old enough to remember how her mother was when she was using – the broken promises, the forgotten dates, and at times complete neglect. And as reluctant as she is, she wonders if giving her mother another chance is worth it – if not for herself, then maybe for her family.
Review
Akhbari beautifully taps into the mind of an angsty teen, offering a heartfelt story with Just Another Epic Love Poem. In between short chapters, the author gifts us with stanzas written by the young poets – both of whom are quite talented (wink to Akhbari). We see the emotional effect that her mother’s addiction has on Mitra, and Bea’s heartbreak. Mitra achieves incredible and admirable character growth. She learns what it means to trust and forgive – not just others, but most importantly herself. And somehow, the author not only explores the personal struggle from past and present situations, but how the two young women continue to look forward to their future, and the endless possibilities for them both.
Parisa Akhbari joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about how she tapped into her professional experiences and embraced poetry for this book. Keep an ear out for the episode and preorder Just Another Epic Love Poem, available March 12.
About the Author
Parisa Akhbari (@authorparisa) is a mental health therapist and writer from Seattle, Washington. Her debut YA novel, Just Another Epic Love Poem, follows two queer best friends in Catholic school as they fall in love through the pages of a never-ending poem they’ve been writing back and forth for five years. When not writing or therapizing, Parisa can be found trying to replicate her grandmother’s drool-worthy Persian recipes, riding ferries around the Puget Sound, and dancing around the kitchen with her wife and dogs. Sign up for her newsletter for a monthly dose of fun arts and culture finds with a spotlight on marginalized creators.
