historyoftape 's review for:

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

5.0

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I think this book will sit with me for a long time. From Salama, to Layla, to Kenan, Yusuf, Lama, even Khawf-all of them people, beautifully fleshed out, all of them brilliant stars agains the harsh reality that this book portrays. My heart goes out not only to them, but to the whole of Syria. To the men, women & children for whom this is not merely a story, but an echo of their own life. 

As long as the lemon trees grow, hope will never die. This book has planted a seedling in my heart, and I am willing to see it grow.

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Now that it's been a few days, I'm ready to go into more detail on why I liked this so much. The characters all had strengths and flaws, grew and developed. There was no sugarcoating of what it means to live in a war zone.

the romance was cute & not annoying. The hallucinations were well written and believable.The twist with Layla was completely believable,but also I did not see it coming at all.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Trafficking, Pregnancy

This book is about the reality of living in a war zone. There is no sugarcoating what that means, and does to people. But that's why I think reading it is so important.