Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

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As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

8 reviews

qquuiill's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I don't cry easily but this book made me genuinely tear up. There are also many moments and instances where I had to physically put the book down and get up and contemplate or react for a solid five minutes.

This book is very inspiring. From the hardships that Salama faces, you learn through her and other characters like Kenan that life is worth fighting for. You learn to be strong. To have hope. To keep your head up. To love. To smile. To, despite the world against you, persevere and find joy.

Albeit, the book is on a heavy topic so if you don't like reads with themes of war, politics(?), and PTSD, maybe don't read it. It's a great read nonetheless.

The book isn't spicy but the moments between Salama and Kenan are enough to make your heart flutter, kick your legs, and giggle. It's very sweet. Their relationship is honest and pure.

I finished this book in one sitting - I could NOT put it down.

Content Warnings

honey_s's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

lenchen25's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

~~Full review to come very very soon, but I absolutely adored this with my whole soul.~~

I began reading Zoulfa Katouh's debut novel, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow (hereafter abbreviated to Lemon Trees) shortly after the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria in February 2023, and I knew that whilst humanitarian aid had been offered to the former, little had been offered to the latter, thanks to the incredibly complex political situation there.

I did not know much about Syria beyond what I had seen in news reports. To my great shame, I lumped it in with similarly war-torn Middle Eastern countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. I did not think much of these countries beyond their most recent history, and what life was like there before invasion, conflict, and authoritarian regimes. Reading Lemon Trees, I found myself increasingly embarrassed about my own ignorance, and I will try and do better in future.

Ignorance like mine is what Katouh attempts to remedy in Lemon Trees, as she writes in her author's note:

This novel delves into the human emotion behind the conflict, because we are not numbers. For years Syrians have been tortured, murdered and banished from their country at the hands of a tyrannical regime, and we owe it to them to know their stories.

--Zoulfa Katouh, Author's Note, p. 417, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

The characters of this novel may be fictional - and historical events condensed for storytelling purposes - but the reality of the Syrian people comes through in shockingly vivid colours.

The protagonist of Lemon Trees is seventeen-year-old Salama Kassab. When we meet her, she is working as a doctor in the local hospital, patching up the wounds of people injured in shootings and bombings. Medically, she is only qualified as a pharmacist, but thanks to the war, there are very few actual doctors left, so Salama, and other medical professionals like her, are roped in to help.

Salama is very nearly alone in the world - her mother was killed during a bomb blast, and her father and brother were arrested at a protest and have not been heard of since. The only family Salama has left is her sister-in-law, Layla, and Layla's unborn child. There is also Khawf - but he is only a hallucination, a symptom of the trauma Salama has endured. He shows her visions of her recent past and urges her every day to leave Syria for good - but she refuses, all too aware of the risk she is taking, and so are any of us who have read horror stories in the media about so-called "boat people" and the people smugglers who exploit their desperation.

One day, a young man named Kenan turns up at the hospital, begging for someone to save his younger sister Lama, who is too gravely ill to be moved from her home. Salama agrees to go, and the choice she makes in doing so will change the course of her life.

Katouh writes in a direct, down-to-earth style, and pulls no punches when describing the horror of daily life in the city of Homs, where the bulk of the novel is set. Freedom of speech does not exist - those who attend protests or post videos of them on YouTube face arrest, imprisonment and torture. Bombings are a regular occurrence, leaving many dead and buildings destroyed. Even walking in the street isn't safe, due to sniper attacks.

But in spite of all this, hope, beauty and joy still find ways to survive. Children play in the street, their lives not yet touched by the trauma. Colourful flowers push their way up through cracks in the pavement. Awe-inspiring sunsets seen from rooftops. And art of all kinds. Revolutionary poetry and music, Layla's paintings, or the magical animated films produced by Studio Ghibli, which Salama and Kenan share a passion for (as does Katouh!).

Speaking of passion, there is also a

love story

at the heart (pun fully intended) of Lemon Trees, that of the one that develops between

Salama and Kenan

. Some may have issues with the

romance

- due to the speed and which it develops and then intensifies. Although whilst reading I was swept up in the

romance

, in hindsight I can see that it might be a bit difficult to buy into it. For me, one of the reasons I did buy into it was because of the circumstances that the characters were in. If this was set in modern day, in a contemporary Western society, I might question it more, but given these people have suffered unimaginable trauma, and where every day might be your last, I was willing to accept it.

It also helped that the character of

Kenan, who is selfless, compassionate and loving

reminded me viscerally of Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games trilogy. Reading through Khatouh's lengthy acknowledgements, I strongly suspect that this was intentional, as she is an Everlark shipper (as am I, but that's kind of beside the point).

I think this review has gone on long enough, so I'll end it here. By the way, please, please take note of the trigger warnings below, and take them seriously - Lemon Trees is not a light read by any means.

But it is most certainly an important one.

Content Warnings