I wish I could put together the words that would capture how I am feeling right now, and yet I feel as though there are none that could do it justice.

The writing in this book was just phenomenal, it reads to me as though it was written in English all along! What a wonderful thing to have translators who do their job so beautifully and so tastefully, I felt as though I were Raif himself reading this book.

The yearning in this book is haunting, almost. Knowing that what you are reading is already gone and in the past and there is nothing you can do to change it, to keep everything as it is. I do not think I have felt such raw emotion from a book in such a long time, and it has touched me in a way I will never forget.

This book is absolutely breathtaking, the knowledge that the love– the passion and desire you are reading of is never meant to last, is constantly lurking over your shoulder as a reminder that it will inevitably be shattered. It encapsulates the love of a lifetime, of the person who you want so dearly and yet can never quite grasp– no matter how much you both wish to.

It truly makes your heart ache, the helplessness of something so delicate and true slipping through your fingers. It was so hauntingly beautiful, how Ali has managed to capture this in 192 pages I could never comprehend. Every single word has its place, and my goodness, it is wonderful.