Reviews

"With an anthropological eye, Sharif's reflections on freedom, consumerism and loyalty are at once witty and incisive. . . . As she masterfully traverses the landscape of exile and all its complicated grief, Sharif manages, with conviction and consistency, to make the reader feel welcome."--Jessica Gigot, New York Times Book Review

"Blistering in its clear-sightedness, this collection offers a fierce, beautiful closing that dares to imagine 'a beckoning, a way.' A bold and uncompromising book with virtuosic emotional range; highly recommended."--Library Journal, starred review "Sharif demonstrates remarkable talent in her ability to so deftly portray the traumatizing balance required to live in the West with deep roots in Iran."--Michael Ruzicka, Booklist, starred review

"Sharif's commanding voice reverberates throughout this complex and confident collection."--Publishers Weekly, starred review "Dazzling. . . . Sharif's language is spare and all the more sharp for what remains, for all that she has left out, as the sculptor does with a slab of marble. . . . This is poetry--this is a poet--that marvels us in manners minute and majestic."--Mandana Chaffa, Ploughshares "Sharif's ruminations on language in Customs--and how to keep it alive and potent--cement her position as one of the most thoughtful poets working today."--Christos Kalli, Harvard Review "Spectacular. . . . In a massive feat, Customs continues the work of Look, pushing its mission forward with a new slate of sharp, memorable pieces that are set to inspire yet another generation."--Summer Farah, Cleveland Review of Books

"Sharif masterfully blends, develops, and transforms her imagery throughout Customs in such a seamless and unexpected way that the reader effortlessly follows these gorgeous, golden, and intelligent threads all the way to the brink of epiphany and beyond."--Veronica Schorr, New York Journal of Books