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A review by tazisbooked
Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman
5.0
I read this book months ago and I’m finally ready to talk about it.
ROSES, IN THE MOUTH OF A LION is a wonderfully, enchanting tale about Razia, a Pakistani-American girl growing up in New York City in the 1980’s. It chronicles her childhood, adolescence and the painful rebellion that comes with the desire to belong – as a Pakistani Muslim, as a foreigner in America and as a queer brown girl.
Bushra Rehman crafted an indulgent coming-of-age story that plucked at my heartstrings. You can’t help but love Razia – in all her rebellion, she is still a girl who yearns for what everyone of us yearns for: acceptance from her parents and in her community.
This book doesn’t have a plot per se; it’s reads more like an anthology of Razia’s life. Each chapter focused on a new aspect of her life, the small, seemingly insurmountable moments that shape Razia into who she becomes. The broken friendships, the blossoming of first love, the acts of rebellion, the aunty gossip grapevine that feels like it can ruin her life… your heart twinges for Razia in each stage of her life. You celebrate her happiness and cry with her when she does.
I especially loved that Razia remained spiritual throughout all her stages in life. It’s a very nuanced portrayal of being Muslim; how one can struggle with their deen, especially as a queer person, despite the harm and toxicity caused by the community at large – and yet, not give it up. I think this not only handled being Muslim with misgivings respectfully, but you could also feel the rising tension and the push-pull of loving your religion yet feeling like your religion doesn’t love you.
I’m not Pakistani (I’m Bengali!) and I did not grow up in the 80’s but I was so taken aback at some points because I felt like I was reading my own childhood experiences. They say that immigrant parents are often “locked in” to the cultural practices of whatever decade they left their mother land and the similarities between the 80’s and the 90’s overlap a ton. Sometimes, it felt like I *was* Razia.
The pacing was slow but not in a bad way; when I say this book is indulgent, it’s because of Rehman’s prose. It feels like every word on the page drips with charged emotions. The last quarter of the book picks up moderately and ends on a cliffhanger - I really, REALLY hope Rehman writes a sequel to this. From what I understand, her debut book, CORONA, picked up where Razia’s story in ROSES leaves off but that book is currently out of print so I *hope* that means it’ll get a new release in the near future.
This story is comped as A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN x ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS but I also believe if you loved the LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB, you’ll adore this book. ROSES, IN THE MOUTH OF A LION comes out on December 6th – so make sure you preorder it!
Special thanks to Flatiron Books for sending this physical ARC to me in exchange for my honest opinions!
ROSES, IN THE MOUTH OF A LION is a wonderfully, enchanting tale about Razia, a Pakistani-American girl growing up in New York City in the 1980’s. It chronicles her childhood, adolescence and the painful rebellion that comes with the desire to belong – as a Pakistani Muslim, as a foreigner in America and as a queer brown girl.
Bushra Rehman crafted an indulgent coming-of-age story that plucked at my heartstrings. You can’t help but love Razia – in all her rebellion, she is still a girl who yearns for what everyone of us yearns for: acceptance from her parents and in her community.
This book doesn’t have a plot per se; it’s reads more like an anthology of Razia’s life. Each chapter focused on a new aspect of her life, the small, seemingly insurmountable moments that shape Razia into who she becomes. The broken friendships, the blossoming of first love, the acts of rebellion, the aunty gossip grapevine that feels like it can ruin her life… your heart twinges for Razia in each stage of her life. You celebrate her happiness and cry with her when she does.
I especially loved that Razia remained spiritual throughout all her stages in life. It’s a very nuanced portrayal of being Muslim; how one can struggle with their deen, especially as a queer person, despite the harm and toxicity caused by the community at large – and yet, not give it up. I think this not only handled being Muslim with misgivings respectfully, but you could also feel the rising tension and the push-pull of loving your religion yet feeling like your religion doesn’t love you.
I’m not Pakistani (I’m Bengali!) and I did not grow up in the 80’s but I was so taken aback at some points because I felt like I was reading my own childhood experiences. They say that immigrant parents are often “locked in” to the cultural practices of whatever decade they left their mother land and the similarities between the 80’s and the 90’s overlap a ton. Sometimes, it felt like I *was* Razia.
The pacing was slow but not in a bad way; when I say this book is indulgent, it’s because of Rehman’s prose. It feels like every word on the page drips with charged emotions. The last quarter of the book picks up moderately and ends on a cliffhanger - I really, REALLY hope Rehman writes a sequel to this. From what I understand, her debut book, CORONA, picked up where Razia’s story in ROSES leaves off but that book is currently out of print so I *hope* that means it’ll get a new release in the near future.
This story is comped as A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN x ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS but I also believe if you loved the LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB, you’ll adore this book. ROSES, IN THE MOUTH OF A LION comes out on December 6th – so make sure you preorder it!
Special thanks to Flatiron Books for sending this physical ARC to me in exchange for my honest opinions!