Review: Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions by Ahmad Saber

Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions by Ahmad Saber

Toronto: Simon & Schuster, 2026

My Quick Take: This was such a pleasure to read. With a simple but effective plot, great characters and important messaging, this YA novel shone.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for a gifted copy.

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I can’t say enough about this fantastic debut YA novel (targeted for ages 14 and up) by British Columbia-based rheumatologist by day, and now novelist Ahmad Saber. I stayed up very late last night to finish Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions because I couldn’t put it down. The novel itself is excellent, but more than that, placing it in the context of the author’s experience enhances the reading. It’s clear that Saber has put his heart and soul into this book, and it shows. In his forward included in the Advanced Reader’s Copy edition, he recounts his own upbringing in a strict Muslim household, one axiom being: “it may still be okay to fail in this life, but you cannot afford to fail in the next.”

“So at first, I completely ignored my authentic identity. But this act of self-betrayal slowly vacuumed all joy from my life. It took a lot of soul-searching to recognize who I’ve always been and to have the courage to love that person, while also not feeling like I was betraying my religion and my culture. In fact, this book was a major part of that process. Once I sat down to write Ramin’s story, I found my own, long-forgotten voice through his.”

Author Ahmad Saber

We’re introduced to main character Ramin, a grade-12 student at conservative Muslim school Hikma High in Toronto, where he heads the Origami Club (members: 1, including Ramin), studies hard to get good grades and volunteers, all in aid of his application to NYU for pre-med. He also fights a daily battle with his two-headed monster of guilt and shame for his attraction to boys. The first pages of the novel see Ramin alone, praying at his mosque after others have left, hoping that his prayer will help him reconcile his sexuality and his faith.

“The two-headed monster living rent-free in the dark basement of my brain. One of his heads is guilt, the other is shame. He lurks in corners, waiting for the perfect moment to whisper that no matter how many tears I shed in Allah’s devotion, I’ll never be quite as Muslim as all the other Muslims who prayed here an hour ago.”

Ramin has a major crush on the captain of the soccer team Fahad. When he has to join the team in order to satisfy the phys-ed requirement for graduation, things get weird for Ramin.

The central struggle for Ramin is the tension between his true, authentic identity, and his understanding of his Islamic faith. What makes this novel interesting to me is Ramin’s self-understanding; he knows who he is and what he likes. He’s gay, and though it causes him so much distress, it’s not because he doesn’t know it. He also knows he loves musicals, and adores the song “Defying Gravity,” but what brings him so much joy is considered haram (a sin) in his faith. He also loves Allah and his faith.

For a person like me who isn’t overly familiar with the Muslim faith, Saber wrote the book to a level that I could understand some of the principles of the faith and genuinely feel for Ramin’s no-win situation, and the pain that it caused him. I appreciated the reminder that though Ramin’s parents and imam are particularly conservative, the Muslim faith isn’t a monolith, as exemplified by the Saleh family in the book, who take a more forgiving and joyous interpretation of the faith to the way they live their lives.

Of course, the themes in Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions can be translated for other people, and to other faiths. I think one of the reasons that the novel resonated so deeply with me, is that I also grew up in a conservative religious home, perhaps not as strict as Ramin’s but there were many similarities. In evangelical Christianity, the same tensions exist: homosexuality and any premarital sex is a sin. I respect the fact that Abbas wrote this book in a way that Ramin could be gay, and also be Muslim; he didn’t have to give one up. He did have to sacrifice some relationships–no outcome in this type of situation can be perfect–but as the book finishes, the schism that has been so painful for him is beginning to heal.

Coming to this book in middle age, and as a fairly non-sentimental reader, the novel surprised me when I actually almost cried at one point, so invested was I in this wonderfully well-developed character of Ramin Abbas. His struggle evoked reminders of my own teen years, but also having parented a young adult, I can see Ramin’s parents’ struggle and also the joy of acceptance as personified by the lovely Mrs. Saleh, who is amazingly sympathetic to young Ramin. Such great characters!

Also, there’s a bit of romance, which was very sweet, there’s blackmail and intrigue, a big soccer tournament, and one touching scene featuring a Desi drag queen. What more could you want?

I hope this book gets bought by all the public libraries and featured prominently, including in the US. It should be in school libraries too. I hope lots of teens will feel seen by this novel, and that they will feel less alone with their struggle. Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions is a well-written, fun yet serious and poignant story that will entertain while educating, full of hope and promise.