While this is a beautiful debut collection, I admit that I found Theophanies rather difficult to read. This is not the fault of Ali by any means and is more of a me problem, specifically that I didn’t understand a lot of the religious and cultural references. This did impact my overall enjoyment to some extent, though I learned a fair bit as I reflected alongside the poet.

My understanding is that Ali was following the ghazal form for a handful of these poems, which is often found in Arab and Central Asian poetry. Perhaps more importantly, though, are the recurring themes in this collection. From what I was able to gather, she took particular interest in a modern exploration of womanhood in relation to faith and spirituality (gesturing especially toward the Quran and the Bible). I was really taken to Ali’s command of language, even if I didn’t fully follow what she was referencing.

I think these poems will really resonate with those who are deeply familiar with the Quran and/or the Bible. I have no doubt that this is a richly layered collection that will be greatly appreciated by those who will understand the references.