Praise for Roses, In the Mouth of a Lion
“Rehman evokes time and place like a poet, with descriptions both precise and lyrical, making the streets of this working-class neighborhood come alive on the page… Where a lesser book might have stooped to stereotypes about Muslims or immigrants, Rehman shows readers the complexities within Razia’s community. Individuals are allowed to be surprising, even to themselves, in this deft and empathetic novel.”
— The New York Times Book Review
“Razia’s story is a beautiful look into the loving Muslim community Rehman knew intimately…The novel is filled with strong friendships, powerful community ties, and complex family dynamics, and Rehman has captured the beauty (and difficulties) of coming of age.”
— Shondaland
“Razia’s growing pains with her cultural heritage, Muslim faith, parental pressures, queer sexuality, and more lead to self-discoveries that help her reshape complex family and friendship ties. These pages are filled with plenty of 1980s Pakistani and American markers – music, movies, books, clothing – to evoke a singular worldview of the Pakistani immigrant community of that time and place.”
— NPR (A Best Book of the Year)
“Rehman fully immerses readers in Razia’s world, but she writes with contemporary edge. The narrative never seems historical or predetermined. It feels, rather, like the account of a warrior describing her journey.”
— Los Angeles Times
“Stellar…Deeply immersive…The scenes brim with the pluck and tumult of young friendship while also portraying the uneasy racial balance that the first-generation children navigate in 1980s Queens…A distinctive and infectious voice takes hold of the reader from the first page.”
— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“I always love a good coming-of-age story but this one hit so close to home I could hardly believe it— a desi girl’s teenage rebellion/friendship/love story, all in my childhood home of Queens? Rehman’s writing is beautiful and compelling, and the main character Razia’s world is one I wanted to linger in.”
— Padma Lakshmi, New York Times bestselling author
Radio & Podcasts
BookRiot | All the Books
Audible | Interview
WNYC’s All of It with Alison Stewart/Interview
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Publishers Weekly | Open Book
Publishers Weekly | Starred and Boxed Review
Booklist | Starred Review
Southern California News Group | Q&A
New York Times Book Review | Review
People Magazine | People Picks
Los Angeles Times | Most Anticipated Books of December
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Interview
Sunday Business Post (UK) | Review
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Online
Autostraddle | Rainbow Reading Mention
LitHub | Mention
PW Daily | Review of the Day
NPR | Books We Love
Distractify | December 2022 New Releases
AV Club | 10 Books You Should Read in December
Chicago Review of Books | 12 Must-Read Books of December
BookRiot | December 2022 Horoscopes
Washington Post | 12 Noteworthy Books for December
E! News | 10 Books to Read This December
Arlington Magazine | 10 New Books to Read in December
PopSugar | Best Books of December
Electric Literature | Original Essay
Lambda Literary | December’s Most Anticipated
Publishers Weekly | Books of the Week
Lesbrary | 23 Bi and Sapphic Books out in December
LitHub | 17 New Books to Invigorate Your December
Goodreads | 6 Great Books Hitting Shelves This Week
BuzzFeed | Best Books to Read December
Ms. Magazine | Reads for the Rest of Us
LGBTQ Reads | December Releases
GMA | 12 Books to Cul Up with This December
Subjectify Media | Review
Shondaland | Interview
Electric Literature | Interview
Edge Media Network | Review
The Rumpus | Letters in the Mail tease
LitHub | Excerpt
Poets & Writers | 10 Questions
Shondaland | Review
Autostraddle | 92 of the Best Queer Books of 2022
Christian Science Monitor | December's 10 Best Books
Electric Literature | Favorite Novels of 2022