A review by luckykosmos
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

challenging emotional hopeful slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is a hard read, but when you get to it, it's deeply rewarding. It's about war and how it tears apart lives and pushes people to their limits, but it's about love and hope and finding beauty in the darkest corners. It's about how fear is ever present and how it keeps you alive, but how you can never submit to it. 

There's a tension from this book of knowing half of what's ahead, and not knowing if that's what's happening there. When it does, it isn't predictable; when it doesn't, the tension remains, because you're not out of the trenches yet. The author walks you through the horrors of living through war, how it doesn't really end, and you can't set it aside, but the love of the moment can be stronger. Katouh has just announced her second book, and I know I'll pick it up right away.
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