angieinbooks 's review for:

Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman

4.5

hopeful sad

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Roses, int he Mouth of a Lion is a coming of age novel, which follows Razia, the American-born daughter of Pakistani immigrants as she navigates the expectations of her immigrant muslim community with the reality of growing up in Queens, New York in the 1980's. The writing is exceptional--so incredibly descriptive that I feel like I grew up right next door to Razia. 

I honestly didn't know what to expect with this novel, but I was drawn to it because I wanted to see how Razia's queer awakening was handled with her religions Muslim upbringing. You know how much I like it when religious and queer themes intersect...

I don't want to reveal too much lest I spoil things for readers, but this is one of the more impressive books I've read all year. 

And just in case anyone sees the LGBTQ tags and is looking for a romance (since that is the majority of what I read), this isn't that book.