The story itself was very compelling but the execution of it missed the mark for me. I really enjoyed learning more about and spending time in this moment in Palestinian history, the sense of place helped the narrative take shape. However, the dialogue and writing style felt a bit stiff and stilted, like each moment was an opportunity to present a fact rather than a real plot point each character experienced. I never quite felt any emotional weight despite the story lending itself to that impact. I also wish we either only followed Subhi or Shams. Introducing Shams’ POV closer to the end was a bit confusing, I didn’t feel I had time to connect with her (even though her story was a bit more interesting) and also missed the emotional impact of following Subhi’s story after the Nakba since we spent most of our time with him, the epilogue felt too quick. I would still recommend, particularly as a companion piece to nonfiction books about the history of Palestine (especially in 1947-1948), I did really enjoy these characters and the setting.