Liquid
United States

Liquid

by Mariam Rahmani

Identity & Belonging Literary Fiction Romance Fiction 2025

Summary

A brilliant Iranian-Indian American scholar has a PhD from UCLA, an underwhelming academic career, and a growing fear that she has failed to achieve the comfortable life her immigrant parents worked so hard to build. When her best friend jokingly suggests she marry rich, she takes the idea seriously, embarking on a summer of one hundred dates with wealthy Angelenos. Armed with spreadsheets and intellectual confidence, she approaches romance as another problem to solve. But when a family emergency takes her to Tehran, an unexpected queer attraction challenges her carefully constructed plans and forces her to reconsider what she wants from love, family, and her future. Witty, provocative, and deeply perceptive, Liquid explores the contradictions of ambition, the pressures of cultural expectations, and the search for belonging between different worlds. With sharp humour and emotional honesty, it turns the familiar romantic comedy into a thoughtful examination of identity, desire, and the lives we imagine for ourselves.

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Country
United States
North America
About the author
Mariam Rahmani
Mariam Rahmani

Mariam Rahmani is an American writer, translator, and academic whose work explores culture, identity, sexuality, and the complexities of belonging. Her fiction and essays have appeared in literary publications including Granta, n+1, and New York Magazine. She is also an accomplished literary translator, working from Persian into English. Her translation of Mahsa Mohebali’s novel In Case of Emergency was named one of The New Yorker’s Best Books of 2022. Rahmani teaches at Bennington College and brings her interests in literature, cultural criticism, and social expectations into both her academic work and creative writing. Her debut novel, Liquid (2025), follows an Iranian-Indian American Muslim scholar navigating romantic relationships, professional disappointment, and family expectations between Los Angeles and Tehran. Combining satire with emotional depth, Rahmani challenges conventional narratives about marriage, ambition, and immigrant identity while exploring the contradictions of contemporary life.

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Details
Published
2025
Author
Mariam Rahmani