Darius Kellner

Darius is the teenage protagonist of the novel. He was named after Darius the Great—the most widely celebrated king of Persia—and feels immense pressure to live up to his namesake. He is half American and half Persian but perceives himself as a fake Persian because he cannot speak Farsi and knows little about Persian culture. Though Darius video calls his Persian relatives regularly, he feels disconnected from them because they cannot converse easily and have little to say to each other. This feeling is compounded when Darius and his family travel to Iran after learning that his Babou has terminal cancer. Darius quickly becomes overwhelmed by Persian life and fears that he will never fit in anywhere. However, his friend Sohrab helps Darius connect with his Persian roots throughout the trip and realize that he has always had an important place in the Bahrami family...