By Catherine Donnelly
The ancient philosopher Heraclitus likens the universe to a river current, saying that one cannot step twice into the same stream. This is why when Rehman can set her readers so adeptly in the Pakistani community of Corona, Queens, New York, during the 1980’s, through subtle cues in the music, fashion, culture and movement of ethnic populations along with the current events of that era, we are hooked. This is a Corona that no longer exists as it was in that era. She writes like a poet, but one who is intimately familiar with the time, place and subject matter of the story. We are treated to having the world she created (or recreated?) come to life in our minds.
The reader is propelled through this coming-of-age story via the well-defined characters, with the point of view being that of young Razia. We start out with her just finishing fifth grade and end as she is a teenager who might be forced to drop out of high school. We get to see a first generation Pakistani-American child who is struggling to honor her parents and religion while exploring what it is to be American and to be strong enough to not quelch her uniqueness, which includes her eventual self-discovery as a queer person.
The reader is not made to endure tired stereotypes about Muslims, immigrants or the queer community. What the reader does get is an insider’s view of the myriad of complexities within the Pakistani-American community and how that can intimately tear apart friends, families and typically makes it so difficult for the young women, especially as they are promised off to marry men in the old country, whom they do not know and are not in love with.
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