As Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jamilah’s family live carefully, without drawing attention to themselves - when Beirut becomes too dangerous, they must flee, taking them even further from a home they don’t remember and cannot return to…

This is an accessible Palestinian diaspora coming-of-age story - I’d have welcomed a little more depth, but Jamilah’s experiences growing up in Beirut and later Cairo were interesting to read about. That feeling of believing you belong but discovering you’re actually an outsider really came through, as did the lasting connection to a lost home that passes through generations, even those with no memory or experience of Palestine. Unfortunately, the story hasn’t proved all that memorable though.

I was rather disappointed by the end, which felt rushed. The final part could easily have been longer as I would have liked more of Jamilah’s story after the point where the book leaves off - as it was, the ending felt slightly contrived and the story rather truncated. Although we do get a bit of information in the epilogue, I’d have been interested in following Jamilah as she navigated her new circumstances, with more of the details of her later life.

A solid and accessible coming-of-age Palestinian diaspora story of belonging, exile and family.