By Zoulfa Katouh

ISBN: 9780316351379

Spoilers towards the end!
This book is a solid historical fiction with a love story at its heart. The backdrop of the Syrian war makes for a heartbreaking story, brilliantly written so that it is bound to stay with you for a long time.

Synopsis

“Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager’s life.

Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe.

But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all.

Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.”

What’s to like

There is so much to rave about this book. While it belongs to the Young Adult genre its appeal is more broad thanks to excellent storytelling. The author has painted a description of war-torn Homs in Syria such that the heartbreaking destruction and violence is easy to imagine. Part of this might also be due to the unfortunate senseless violence in that region of the world, which we are seeing everywhere in the media around us. In a way this book makes the reader think more about the people whose lives have been upended by conflict and violence. The people cease to be just a statistic in the news and become more human.

The prose, structure, and characters of the story are exceptionally built. The layers created within the story and the characters to depict the state of Salama’s mental health are impressive. Khawf’s character is one such example. Creepy and impressive at the same time.

The romance is spot on. While Salama and Kenan’s interactions might be a bit cheesy for some, in the backdrop of a Muslim story depicting halal romance, it was cute and heartwarming to read.

What’s not to like

*Spoilers.*

There is not much to complain about this book. However, some parts seemed unrealistic such as Salama being the one realizing that the hospital will be bombed and convincing everyone to evacuate. It puzzled me to think that no one else, especially Dr. Ziad thought about it before.

Finally, the ending made me surprised that Kenan moved away from his siblings. Upon realizing that some editions have an extra chapter between the boat scene and the last chapter about their life in Canada, I think some of it might have been explained better there. It did make me sad to not have that chapter in my book edition though!

Overall, no major things to dislike about the book.

NOTES:

Book Review Rating: 5/5
Content Warnings: Death, PTSD, mental health issues, war, torture and sexual assault. Age advisory 16+Halal romance (kissing scenes)