Exquisite Things

Gr 10 Up–A tragic tale of two boys, this story starts in 1895 with Shahriar, who is soon to go by the name Shams and then later by the name Bram, gaining immortality through the power of Oscar Wilde and a desire to live and love in an era where all love is accepted. It then gives way to the 1920s, when Oliver meets the mysterious Shams at a clandestine gay club. Next up is the 1980s, where they both must face the hardships of building and loving a found family in a time of acceptance and persecution, where the only guarantee is that their loved ones are mortal, and they are not. This story is ultimately a love letter to the struggle for queer liberation. The nonlinear plot progression makes memorable characters grow more precious with every chapter and highlights the intense loneliness and desperation that Oliver and Bram feel as the decades march on. Nazemian’s writing is lyrical and poetic. Due to an on-page scene of a sexual nature, it is recommended for mature readers. The settings, the trial of Oscar Wilde, the start of the Harvard tribunal, the beginning of the AIDS crisis, and the present day give readers a glimpse of the small hopes and big catastrophes that have pockmarked the last century and a half of queer history.