I’d say this book is more out of my comfort zone than most I’ve read lately. I mistakenly took it as more of a love story when I bought it but then picking it up to begin I realized that was not really the main focus. 

It felt a bit slow to me but it was definitely informative and interesting. I didn’t know anything about Cyrus and the ethnic struggles and civil war there. The environmentalism and knowledge about the ecosystem was educational as well. The fig tree’s resilience was inspiring.

Finding out more about Dafne’s death was disappointing and sadder than I expected but I appreciated the metaphors and how a troubled past can cause neverending pain.