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274 pages ; 24 cm
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"When Delbar -- a hapless twentysomething with dreams of becoming a drag queen -- is spectacularly outed, he flees the insular immigrant-dense suburbs of Washington, DC, to seek refuge with his sympathetic aunt in Istanbul. There he discovers a vibrant community of dissidents, sex workers, activists, poets, and heretics. Among them are Leif and his boyfriend, Mansur, with whom Delbar quickly develops a blazing fascination. But Mansur also nurses a wounded heart, having left his own family, and his first love, behind in Iran. This time, Mansur has learned not to dream bigger than his own survival. He'll keep a low profile, work hard to send money back to his family, and remain faithful to Leif -- at least until his refugee status is granted. When riot police descend on attendees of the annual Istanbul pride march, Mansur and Delbar are thrust into dangerous proximity. With the country surging into authoritarianism, the two men -- alongside their friends and lovers -- must ask themselves: What constitutes a life well lived, and how high is the price of freedom? Told through the alternating viewpoints of Delbar and Mansur, Bobuq Sayed's debut novel is a story of borders and boundaries transgressed, and a seductive exploration of what it means to make a home at the margins of society. At once an immigrant family saga, a thwarted love story, and a searing portrait of politics made intimately personal, No God but Us is an ambitious introduction to a bold new voice."--