This is one of those books that's going to sit with me for a very, very long time. It's heartbreaking, painful, devastating and triggering, and yet beautiful, lyrical and hopeful.

The mix of fact and fiction made this incredibly impactful - I know it's not a true story, but it felt like it could be. This could have been the story of any of the millions of Palestinian refugees, and because Abulhawa did a ton of research for this book and interviewed those who have lived it, this is, at it's core, an accumulation of many Palestinian lived experiences. It held true to the very real horrors while weaving a unique and original story.

Anyone would gain something from reading this book, but heed the trigger warnings if there are topics you can't handle in books. This was very heavy and intense from the get go, but absolutely worth the read and ensuing emotional devastation. I'm still in awe.