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A review by writingcaia
As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
An enthralling, crushing story that left me thorn between the sadness and desperation at the horrors seen and told, and the hopeful magic of love and selflessness. I was shocked it was YA as it’s very graphic, filled with cruelty and inhumanity, and themes that make grown ups shiver, but in truth from children to elderly, all went through it, the author just chose to show the reality of what happened in Síria through the eyes of an eighteen year old girl.
Amid the devastation in Síria after the Arab Spring and the riots to remove the dictator Bashar Allasad from power two young adults will have to decide what’s most important, to survive, be together, and be the vehicle of their country’s history, or fight and die for it.
It’s a really powerful story with the whole emotional journey of the how and why someone abandons their home and risks their life to flee.
One of the best historical fiction’s I’ve read, and one that tells of a recent history we all should know about.
Amid the devastation in Síria after the Arab Spring and the riots to remove the dictator Bashar Allasad from power two young adults will have to decide what’s most important, to survive, be together, and be the vehicle of their country’s history, or fight and die for it.
It’s a really powerful story with the whole emotional journey of the how and why someone abandons their home and risks their life to flee.
One of the best historical fiction’s I’ve read, and one that tells of a recent history we all should know about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Blood, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Medical content
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Torture and Rape