Razia spent the majority of her time at Taslima's house. Over the course of the following years, Razia and Taslima became inseparable. Razia was grateful for Taslima because she was also Pakistani and Muslim, and because she dulled her sorrow over Saima. Taslima and Razia became friends shortly after their mothers became acquainted at the local grocery store. Not long later, a new girl named Taslima moved into the Corona neighborhood. Although she tried to make amends with her friend, Saima was too offended by what Razia's mother had said about her family to forgive Razia. Losing Saima meant Razia had no one who truly understood her. Once the families stopped talking, Razia felt more alone than ever. Furious, Razia's mother swore never to talk to Saima's mother again. While working for Razia's father, Saima's uncle had stolen from him. Then one day, Razia overheard her mother gossiping about Saima's uncle. Indeed, the girls' fathers had even been friends in Pakistan before moving to the States. Saima was the only girl Razia's mother approved of, in that she was also a member of the Pakistani Muslim community. She therefore relied upon her relationship with her childhood best friend Saima for grounding and support. As a Pakistani Muslim girl, Razia learned from a young age that she was different from her peers. Razia Mirza lived in the Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York with her mother and father. For the sake of clarity, the following summary relies upon a more streamlined and linear mode of explanation. However, each of the chapters can function as its own independent vignette. The novel's overarching structure follows a linear plot trajectory. The narrative employs both the past and the present tenses. Flatiron Books, 2022.īushra Rehman's novel Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion is written from the main character Razia Mirza's first person point of view. The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Rehman, Bushra.

Roses in the mouth of the lion