A Nearby Country Called Love

by Salar Abdoh

A sweeping, propulsive novel about the families we are born into and the families we make for ourselves, in which two brothers struggle to find their place in an Iran on the brink of combusting

Amid the alleyways of the Zamzam neighborhood of Tehran, a woman lights herself on fire in a desperate act of defiance, setting off a chain reaction of violence and protest. Haunted by the woman’s death, Issa is forced to confront the contradictions within his own family as his brother Hashem, a prominent queer artist in Tehran’s underground, defies their father, a skilled martial artist bound to traditional notions of honor and masculinity. 

Issa soon finds himself thrown into a circle of people living on the margins of a society at the brink of combusting, negotiating a razor-like code of conduct that rewards loyalty and encourages aggression and intolerance in equal measure. As the city explodes around him, Issa realizes that it is the little acts of kindness that matter most, the everyday humanity of individuals finding love and doing right by one another. 

Vibrant and evocative, intimate and intelligent, A Nearby Country Called Love is both a captivating window into contemporary Iran and a portrait of the parallel fates of a man and his country—a man who acknowledges the sullen and rumbling baggage of history but then chooses to step past its violent inheritance.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, LGBT, Adult, Iran, Queer

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2023

About the author

Salar Abdoh is an author and writer. His latest novel is A Nearby Country Called Love (Viking Penguin, 2023). His book, Out of Mesopotamia (Akashic, 2020), has been hailed as “One of a handful of great modern war novels,” and was a NYTimes Editors’ Choice, and also selected as a Best Book of the year across several platforms, including Publishers Weekly. He is also the author of Tehran At Twilight, Opium, and The Poet Game, and editor and translator of the celebrated crime collection, Tehran Noir.

Mostly dividing his time between New York City and Tehran, Iran, Abdoh regularly publishes personal essays and short stories, plus numerous translations of other authors that appear in journals across the world.

A professor at the City University of New York’s City College campus in Harlem, he conducts workshops in the English Department’s MFA program and also directs undergraduate creative writing.

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I enjoyed the characters, the way they interacted and the really down to earth realizations they come to along the way. It wasn't always an easy read, there's lots of violence or multiple types and grief but it's surprisingly a story that deals in nuances.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only recently became aware of the the author, and although I started with Out of Mesopotamia, which I enjoyed (despite the relentless disorientation), I'm glad that, before delving into the Noir offerings, I bought and read this.

If we read fiction to be exposed to worlds beyond our imagination, then, well, everything about this book fit that mold. And yet, it was as entertaining as it was thought provoking as it was, from start to finish, compelling.

I won't even begin to summarize or riff on content because, for me, picking it up cold enhanced the experience.

Frankly, I have no idea who the target audience is for this, nor am I familiar with the author's readership's typical demographics (but, again, I'm guessing I'm not at the center of the Venn diagram). But ... and maybe it's not but or despite ... but maybe it's because everything about the novel was so foreign to me, I was all the more impressed by how well it worked for me.

Ultimately, I recommend it, and I'm confident I'll be looking for more of Abdoh's work in the future.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was almost great in a way that frustrated me. I felt on the verge of some profound insight throughout, but characters fizzled away and arrived almost exactly where I anticipated. I hope this author keeps writing — there were moments I was wowed by his command of language, but mostly I found it kept things moving without dazzling me. At times, the plot felt too contrived to be real, even if there was humanity lurking just beyond the pages here.

[Lauren Okine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book! Written beautifully but a bit confusing at times. I learned a bit about Persian culture and Iranian cities which was cool. I agree that some of it might seem unrealistic and there are lots of depictions of violence.

[Leanne Ellis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel started off so strong, getting the reader into the heavy masculine work of single and drifting Middle Eastern men. But the plot became so convoluted, the characters' motivations made no sense, and the whole point of the novel seemed lost to me.

[Zsa Zsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insert here: Sound of clearing throat
I feel anxiously volatile about this book.
I do not read men.
I do not like reading stories about men.
But I read this and it wasn’t … bad?
The protagonist is floating in a world that seems to offer him all kinds of trouble except the one he’s searching for … love. In the meantime, he goes around the world discovering things, human suffering and women self-immolating in a second hand version that is supposed to talk about an issue without actually addressing it. And there is the gay and transgender issue. The protagonist seems an unwilling advocate that’s accepted to listen and learn if he can. Yet, all of it sounds distanced and very show-off-y and fake? Not sure yet.
But the other characters are all straight from a feel good small village out of a Backman novel. Larger than life, funny, getting along, taking life easy, filled with poetry and languages and understanding. It’s written as a book for very serious adult issues, yet reads like a children’s bedtime story.
“She talked in riddles, and Issa sometimes wondered if it was processing her thoughts from Turkish into Persian that made her sound like a prophetess who could still threaten grown men with physical violence and mean it.”

"It was a moment. One distinct moment. I mean, there was the moment before the news and the moment after. Life stopped for a minute. And then I had to change the scaffolding of my mind. Or I would lose it."

"Most of human history is nothing but that, people just happening to be where they are."

“While the meaning was still inscrutable, he thought he was as close to them now as he'd ever be.”

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is difficult, gorgeous, heartbreaking yet hopeful. And oh so imperative to anyone struggling with finding themselves in a space that rejects them as they are.

The author navigates the complexity of gender identity and the male chauvinism prevalent in his culture. There is little ‘Good vs bad’ - it is awash in grey and nuance. The main character, though mainly a vessel to keep the plot moving, still displays a shocking amount of growth and depth. I enjoyed the idiosyncratic gaggle of characters collected throughout this narrative.

This is a masterpiece and I will need some time to come back from it 💛

[Olivia Aghabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

queerness, revolution, and identity in tehran through a network of characters. brilliant complexity.

[Josie Junkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had potential to be so good, but just missed the mark. :(

[Leah Lorz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has potential to be better, but just never came together for me. The characters all fell flat and I never connected. It’s too bad because the subject matter is interesting - exploring homosexuality and domestic violence within Iran. The author just tried to add too much and nothing managed to engage.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Jayoti Mondal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to believe that love is like water– Free-flowing, shapeless and colorless. It can take any form it wants to. It is unbothered by obstructions like gender orientation, unwanted opinions, and stereotypes to name a few. Love should be that way, that is the thought we need to carry and imbibe. I wish everyone could let it be – love in any form and between anyone. But I suppose there is a power play here. When you strip someone of love, someone of their identity, and freedom, and break them to their bones, you only leave a husk of what used to remain and then maybe you can pull all the strings for the immobile body any way you want. But love is mysterious and it grows from within the cracks. The abuser may not take notice of it, but it grows and grows despite wars – both inside and outside.
A flower in a field of war.
“A Nearby Country Called Love” takes us to Iran, Tehran, and Monierieh. It takes us to Issa– Our main man bereft of love, bereft of a brother who chose to love men, bereft of a father who chose to punish his son for being a transsexual, bereft of a place that accepts people who accept others as they are.
He longs for an unknown poetess whose words stir his heart but in vain. He longs to break the bodies of men who drive women to burn, to self-immolate, to give up life as if it were a curse. He longs to avenge his dead brother, that one dead woman he cannot erase from his mind, and avenge people who have been wronged for breaking open from the mold of the gender they were born in. In the meantime, he has some of his own biases to unlearn and he does it, one day at a time. And with it, brings in changes, albeit in himself, and with it, small profound changes around himself that bring in hope and give love, the chance to be in any form whatsoever.
Reading this book filled me with pain, warmth, and love. It made me question some of my conditionings and forced to me come to my senses about being in this world. With all the upheaval and protests going on, my heart fills up with pain thinking about something as basic, something as human as the right to love anybody regardless of gender is such a heated zone. This world was for us all and yet, now it is divisive just because of some people who feel that the world is theirs, that this world is for patriarchy and is patriarchy. Such fools. Did love ever grow in their hearts? I do not feel so.
Well, this one book demands immediate reading. So if you find it anywhere, let it help love grow in you and when done, help grow that love in someone else. We need love. This world needs love.

[Atlas · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌍 Masterpiece/5 Stars

Thank you to Viking Penguin for the copy!

This book completely captivated me. The characters, their interactions, and the down-to-earth realizations they come to along the way were stunning. It wasn’t always an easy read—there’s a lot of violence, grief, and raw emotion—but the way it navigates these heavy themes with nuance is remarkable. If fiction exists to transport us beyond our own imagination, this book embodies that purpose. Yet, it remained entertaining, thought-provoking, and compelling from start to finish.

Three Things I Loved:

✔️ The novel’s world felt entirely foreign to me, yet I was deeply immersed in its reality. The unfamiliarity made the experience all the more powerful.
✔️ Abdoh’s storytelling balances complexity and accessibility. At times, his command of language left me in awe.
✔️ The supporting cast is beautifully crafted—larger-than-life characters filled with humor, poetry, and deep understanding. They feel straight out of a Backman novel, adding warmth to an otherwise serious narrative.

Three Things That Left Me Conflicted:

❌ The plot, while engaging, sometimes felt too contrived to be entirely believable. Even though there was genuine humanity beneath it, some moments felt showy rather than sincere. 🤔
❌ The protagonist is largely a vessel for the narrative. While he does experience growth, he often drifts through the story rather than driving it forward.
❌ The novel tackles gender identity, male chauvinism, and LGBTQ+ themes, but at times, these discussions felt distanced—like they were being examined rather than truly engaged with.

Despite these minor frustrations, I ultimately recommend this book. I felt like I was on the verge of profound insight throughout, even if some characters fizzled out or ended up where I expected.



💛 Stories about queerness, revolution, and identity
📍 Books set in Tehran with rich cultural depth
🎭 Thought-provoking fiction that doesn’t offer easy answers
📚 Literary fiction with a poetic yet accessible style

This book was difficult, gorgeous, and heartbreaking—yet somehow, still filled with hope. I’ll need time to process it, but I know I’ll be looking for more of Abdoh’s work in the future. ✨

[Robert Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you finish a novel, close the book, reflect on what you read, and think to yourself: wow. Where did that story come from?

Amid the homophobic Islam confines of Iran, a great peculiar law is enacted: government assistance in transgendering procedures. This archaic and absolutely contradictory law can be explained on any concept but queer empathetic reasons.

So, the book has a female to male transgender who loves a woman but cannot marry her because he lacks a kir between his legs. The law prohibits the marriage of a person of one gender to an incomplete transgender who is attempting to be anatomically the other gender. The marriage proposal includes a beating and eternal prohibition of the woman ever seeing her family.

Another woman shacks up with a paraplegic who goes to PT and emerges as a walking, functioning man.

The protagonist is a stereotypical middle eastern man whose life is dedicated to martial arts and studies. His older brother hated martial arts, dad's occupation, and was denounced because of openly gay lifestyle. Running by that again: Iran allows transgender but abhors openly gay? Hmmm. If you medically look feminine - okay. If you look like a wimpy man but act no differently than the transgender - bad.

A large macho friend of the protagonist, in his late 20s or early 30s, begins to realize he is gay. But, the truth cannot be told. So he marries and lives a clandestine gay life by picking up boys at the park while impregnating his wife.

The profoundly irreverent sexual situations make America think Iran makes Key West look straight. Note: this book delves mostly into gay, and no one appears to be lesbian.

The dialogue in this book about these peculiar angles concerning Islam, Iran and homosexuality are magnigicent.

The title concerns one of Iran's neighboring countries where the government's allowance of gay lifesyle earns the adjective of "love."

I learned a lot in this little novel. Glad I picked it up. This is a real eye opener.

[Amy Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

After spending more than a decade in the US, Issa has returned to his native Tehran, where he struggles with the violent paternalistic culture. Issa's father ran a dojo and taught Issa and his brother combat skills. Issa's brother was gay, which made him a target for bullying and violence in the city's homophobic culture. Issa defended him when he could, but he never really understood him or their father's macho outlook.

Now Issa is caught between worlds. He loves poetry, he hates the violence against women, and he wants to find a love that will help him make sense of the fractured world he lives in.

This book provides a glimpse into modern Tehran and the turmoil of a society where traditional values conflict with modern views. I found it interesting, but the book's plot never seemed to go anywhere. Issa meanders from one misadventure to the next, and the poetry he quotes doesn't succeed in tying it all together. I recommend reading it if you want insight into the point of view of a unique character.

[Char · Rating 3 out of 5]

i'll be honest i was half lost this entire book and did not understand the plot (even though barely anything happened)

perhaps its bc of the prose or the irritatingly short passages that would skip over actual action then go straight into issa's internal monologue recalling what happened instead. i wasn't rly into it and was honestly forcing myself to finish this. it felt like there was too many characters being thrown in without any connection that i could make clear of. i also just could not understand issa as a character.

but i do think this was an insightful narrative about violence enacted by men and a window into cultures in the middle east (specifically tehran) theres a lot of complexities between afghan and iranian ppl which i did not know about before.

there was also an extremely small mention about shia vs sunni islam which i did like connecting my reli education to.

[Thea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful novel is about a man, Issa, who seems like a super-hero with a fatal flaw, an inability to love. His journey towards love is a juggernaut of missteps, dead ends, trips to Beirut, pairings that seem improbable, and violence. It's a true love story. The complexities of politics and culture in Iran run parallel to the love story like a shadow of a shadow. Same sex couples, for many the first time, come together seamlessly as if it was written in the stars. The loss of Issa's brother Hashem to AIDS, years earlier, is an infected wound, not just to Issa, but to the theatrical community Hashem helped establish. Concisely written in a taut style that keeps you turning the pages and demanding to know what happens next.

[Jessica Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. I won this book from the giveaways. It is definitely not one I would have even known to consider. It was unlike any other novel I've ever read. I am gad I read it and it was well written. However, it was quite strange. Issa, the main character was simply looking for love. Love came into his life in many ways though none seemed to be right. His country seemed horribly wicked and happiness always out of reach. He tried to do the right thing and protect those weaker than him. He usually was a successful protector but it just reminded him of how unjust the world is and how unhappy and lonely he felt.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't what I expected. It's sort of about the LGBTQI+ community in Iran, which would be interesting to learn about. But it's more than that and less than that. And I agree w/other reviewers that you kept expecting something profound, but it was more of the same. Which may have been the point -- that these people were just stuck in an endless circle with little changing.

This said, I would read more by this author, who shows great promise.

[Ashley Sweeney · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a lot of things that I did not understand from this book but I think that a lot of this was simply my lack of understanding of Middle Eastern culture. The book did not really seem to have a good plot with no rise or fall in the action. The same premise played out for the entirety of the book but there really was no resolution. I found myself confused at times, trying to find the underlying meaning behind the chapters. If there was something else there, it was lost on me.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up while browsing the New Books shelf, and it interested me because of the setting in Iran, where I lived in the 70s. It wasn’t really what I expected, and I found the narrative sometimes repetitive and chronologically confused. But it was still interesting, and I learned some things about contemporary Iran.

[Azora · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a confusing one to review. It did not go anywhere I thought it would. I love to read about Tehran and this author captured so much of the feel of it well— but I felt they sort of overused Farsi as prose and if I didn’t speak it I would have probably been confused at times.

Plot wise, not sure I really got the end either, though I wasn’t expecting much else.

[Candice Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seemed to go on forever, yet never really got any place. At times, it was an interesting look at life in the Middle East. But, mostly, I was reading to try to find those points of interest.

[Kelly Sumski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a difficult book for me to get into. It was an enlightening glimpse of a country and culture I know very little about. I can appreciate the messages delivered, but it was not one of my favorites.

[Kara Blakesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful job weaving the many complicated layers of modern Islamic culture in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the Middle East. I honestly had a difficult time getting into the story but the relationship to the characters grew like a friendship, not without bittersweet triumphs.

[Marianne Mullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the book and think this might have been one that I would have done better reading. Important topics and interesting characters. Yet, I had a hard time staying focused and keeping track of what was happening. Would give it another shot perhaps.

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the writing and the characters, found the plot captivating but ultimately frustrating. This is definitely a case of "actual novel not really what it says on the back blurb." But the narration had an unusual cadence, at turns stilted and light on its feet, so, hey, extra star.

[Laura Foxworthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about loss and grief, about love in all its complexities and wonders. And mostly it is a story about found family, something that is very dear to my heart. I loved living in this different world while reading this unexpected love story.

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting voice & perspective. Not so much of a sequential plot as it is a snapshot of a hypothetically realistic individual experience.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting peek into another culture. The story took twists and turns I hadn't expected. I enjoyed the book.