Taleen Voskuni, an Armenian author, writes her debut romance novel Sorry Bro, centred around protagonist Nareh “Nar” Bedrossian and her journey on the path to self-discovery: both of her heritage, and coming into her queer identity. Previously engaged to San Francisco tech mogul Trevor Milken, Nareh realises this is not the man she wants to spend her life with, and instead meets the mystical Erebuni at an Explore Armenia event her mother convinced her to attend.
I first encountered Sorry Bro by chance while scrolling aimlessly on social media and was immediately intrigued by the plot. A book about queer Armenians? That was not something you saw every day. I was so excited that I immediately pre-ordered it and waited idly for it to arrive, hoping I wouldn’t be burned by yet another upcoming young adult (YA) novel. Finally getting to read this book was incredible, and everything I hoped it would be.
Voskuni’s writing style does the plot justice. The book is written from Nareh’s point of view, providing insight into her struggles with coming out in a traditional Christian orthodox Armenian family, but also her qualms with how she views her identity as she was not born in Armenia.
For generations, Armenians have had a large diaspora population due to various wars and migration, and Voskuni tackles the topic incredibly. “Explore Armenia,” in the novel is a week-long “conference” that includes a series of cultural events such as: Shourchbar (traditional Armenian choreography); and a cooking class where they make a variety of classic dishes like mutabal, kofte, sarma, and sini kofte; and a brandy tasting. Through these events, Voskuni highlights how a large portion of Armenians struggle to stay connected to their roots and how they are able to overcome their insecurities surrounding not feeling cultured enough. Also, Voskuni dealt with the intricacies of identity and culture beautifully, and did not shy away from “controversial” or heavy topics. Frequently drawing reference to genocide delicately and respectfully through different characters having a mature discussion about their different viewpoints
Nareh, in a fit of despair about Trevor, tells her mother she wants to try dating Armenian men again, and is convinced to go to these events to meet potential suitors. However, unbeknownst to her mother, she meets Erubuni instead and is taken aback by her intelligence and beauty. This part in the novel has to be my favourite, as from here we get a “will-they-won’t-they” situation, made more intriguing as Nareh is not out to the general community. She faces internal struggle as she is unsure of Erubuni’s sexuality and is scared of the potential fallout that may occur if she tries her luck and finds out Erubuni is straight. Not only does Nareh discover that she may find her true love, but also discovers that she enjoys being surrounded by Armenian culture. I related to this, as Voskuni mentions how Nareh battles with feeling “Armenian enough” or “American enough” as she was born and raised in San Francisco, but still had all the culture of being raised by Armenian parents. I think it’s admirable of Voskuni to write about this relatable struggle of many diasporas as it contributes to how many Armenian readers raised outside Armenia can engage with the novel.
I particularly enjoyed the integration of casual Armenian dialogue and traditional proverbs at the beginning of each chapter — a dialect and proverbs that I spoke and heard coming from a similar background. It warmed my heart to see the inclusion of western Armenians and brought me near tears. It was also nice to see English translations of any Armenian dialogue for non-Armenian readers who may have picked this queer romance. Also, some characters spoke in “broken English,” which was humorous as it reminded me of some of my family members — many of which have English as their third or fourth language.
I confidently recommend this book. The characters were fleshed-out and unique in their own ways. I look forward to seeing what comes next from her and hope her next book is as good as this one. Even if you aren’t Armenian or aren’t on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, I still think this novel is worth the read. It is lighthearted, charming, and hard to put down.
Gianna Dinwoodie is currently working towards her BA in Political Science and hopes to pursue a minor in Journalism. When she is not seen writing mountains of essays for her classes, she enjoys poetry and literature of any sort. Especially of the horror or psychological thriller genre! Don't ask her to watch a horror movie though, she'll probably cry...
