If You Could Be Mine

Sahar and Nasrin have loved each other since childhood, but their relationship must remain secret in the Iran depicted in this novel. When Nasrin's parents arrange her marriage, the future they imagined together begins to close. Sahar searches for a way to keep them from being separated and encounters a society that treats same-sex relationships and gender transition very differently. What appears to offer a practical escape would demand a change that does not reflect how she understands herself. Sara Farizan's young-adult novel follows Sahar through the conflict between protecting a relationship and remaining true to her own identity. Family pressure, unequal choices and the risks of secrecy shape a love story in which no apparent solution is simple.