Everything Sad is Untrue Book Review

Lately, I have been bouncing around in my mind why stories are so important to us as humans, and even more importantly, why stories (or storytelling) are so necessary for me. Do you ever begin to ponder such things when you pick up a book that seems to give you just what you needed to, well, ponder even more? That’s exactly what happened when I found Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri. This book showed up years ago on my Pinterest feed. The bright colors of a vivid tornado caught my eye with some text overlaid that said something like, “must read; changed my life.” It’s possible it said nothing like this and was on Goodreads, but the point is that it was recommended using some clickbait something or another. Either way, I added it to my “Want to Read” list, and it sat there for years.

Around New Year’s 2025, I was perusing my lists to see what I wanted to read next, and this one popped up again, many years after that saved Pinterest post. Just a quick note on how I read books: I have a very complicated system when it comes to choosing what books to read and in what order. In the past, I would make book resolution lists where I would schedule out what books I would read for the next year. I read 3–4 books at a time and have strange rules like, “I will not read the next book in a series back to back,” or “I won’t read two fantasy books at the same time.” With all of my rules combined, what I learned is that when a new story comes along and sparks my interest, it gets placed at the bottom of a long list. Over time, I almost gave up on finding new books because I knew I would need to get through the others first.

This New Year’s, I decided that I needed to break those rules. If I made up the rules, I can get rid of them. When this happened, Everything Sad is Untrue was the perfect answer. I was going to read a book that was supposed to be years away, and I would only read this one book. My insides still shiver somewhat because these rules gave me order and consistency in a world that can feel powerless and out of control. But I wanted to see what it was like to get out of my own self-made box.

I don’t believe that there are fate fairies that place books in our path to help guide us or some form of spirit that places obstacles and signs in our way to redirect us toward some perfect purpose or destiny. Yet, this book aligned so well with my brain patterns and came back to me just as I was letting go of the rigid stories. Maybe I am creating meaning where there is none or pinning together connections from coincidences that are nowhere near synchronicity. But I want to believe in the magic that life can bring us; so, for the sake of this review, I will say the magic was real. This book came to me for this exact moment and brought me exactly what I was needing (a little too much woo woo… probably; but I don’t really care).

Let’s get to the book. Everything Sad is Untrue parallels the story of 1001 Nights, where Scheherazade spins tales to an evil king in hopes of keeping him entertained to prevent him from killing her. She has to continue to tell a new story every night. If not, the king will kill her. That’s a lot of pressure to tell a good story! Daniel, in Everything Sad is Untrue, comes from Iran, where his family escaped when he was a young child. He now takes on the role of storyteller to the reader from his perspective as a middle school student in Oklahoma. He wants to fit in and relate to his peers by telling the myths of his home country as well as the details of his own struggles that were brought on by this journey from Iran to Dubai to a refugee camp in Italy and then, finally, to Oklahoma. Daniel shows the dangers of living in Iran in the 1980s, when his mother converts to Christianity and finds herself face-to-face with the threat of death upon her whole family by the Iranian government due to this decision.

For an official review, it is best to leave no spoilers, so I will give no more than you can find on the back cover of the book. However, this book deserves to be read—not because of a Pinterest clickbait post that says it will change your life. It should be read because Daniel Nayeri is a marvelous storyteller. He reminds us that our memories can deceive us even while they define us. He shows how a single event can be a different story for each person watching it unfold. He describes the killing of a bull when he was a young child by his grandfather, Baba Haji, as a ritualistic act to celebrate a son (himself) being born into their family. Daniel feels responsible for this innocent creature dying, and it impacts how he views his grandfather. His own father sees a proud moment of tradition and honor that his son gets to partake in. His mother is horrified that her five-year-old is a witness to such bloody violence as Baba Haji’s red-soaked hands reach out for Daniel’s face.

The point is that each had a different story to tell from the same event, and they would all hold on to this memory, which would change their perspectives, opinions, and values moving forward. But as mentioned earlier, memories are deceptive. We can hold truths and standards that are built on stories from our past that are not true or have altered in their reality. We can spin our memories to make them sunnier or darker, depending on how we need to use them. We can also create stories that are built around lies that we convince ourselves are real. Why do we do this? I think it helps us justify our own behaviors and self-imposed rules. If anything, we are creatures who are afraid of being judged (especially by ourselves). We hold onto stories like we are lawyers trying to convince an invisible jury that we are justified in our choices. They provide a buffer against shame and guilt. They are stickers we place on our shirts to say, “Hello, this is who I am and what you should know about me (please don’t judge too harshly).”

What I don’t want you to think is that this book convinced me that stories are not important. If anything, it made me realize the opposite! We humans need to tell stories to help understand each other and remind us how we are all connected. We read books to share the world with strangers and step into their thoughts for a while to escape and bring back a tad bit of another’s humanity to attach to our own. Daniel reminds the reader that we are the king listening to Scheherazade spill her 1001 stories as we decide what judgments to cast upon her. As the reader of Everything Sad is Untrue, I can only do the same as the king and ask for one more. One more night to remind me that the stories of those who are persecuted and taken advantage of can change our minds. To remind me that self-imposed rules bring chains and not freedom. To remind me that our stories aren’t finished yet, as we get to decide what happens next. One more tale to remind me that our stories give us power!