I Will Greet the Sun Again

A poetic, open-hearted debut about an Iranian American boy searching for his place in the world—“exquisite, heartbreaking, incredibly beautiful" (Caleb Azumah Nelson, author of Open Water)

K just wants to be an American boy—shooting hoops with his two older brothers and riding his Huffy with his buddies around the San Fernando Valley. But K knows there's something different about himself, a longing that draws him closer to his best friend while making him feel increasingly alienated from everyone around him. At home, K must navigate another confusing identity: that of the faithful son of Iranian immigrants struggling to survive in the United States. To make his mother proud, he tries to do well in school and help around the apartment, uncertain of whether he can live up to her ideal of a son. On Friday nights, K dutifully attends prayers at the local mosque with his unknowable father, whose affection and violence distort K's understanding of what it means to be a man and how to love.

A stunning, tender novel about being lost in one's family, one's country, and one's skin, I Will Greet the Sun Again stares down the brutality of being a queer kid in America and an immigrant in an unwelcoming land. Khashayar J. Khabushani transforms personal and national pain into an unforgettable work of art: an urgent and beautifully rendered exploration of youth, love, family--and becoming yourself.

Story Locale:Los Angeles (the Valley); Iran, New York

About the Author

Khashayar J. Khabushani was born in Van Nuys, California, in 1992. During his childhood he spent time in Iran before returning to Los Angeles. He studied philosophy at California State University, Northridge, and prior to completing his MFA at Columbia University, he worked as a middle school teacher. This is his first novel.

Author Residence: San Francisco (Nob Hill)

Author Hometown: San Fernando Valley, California