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A review by helenaraddock
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
5.0
This is easily the most devastating book I've ever read. Every time you feel an ounce of hope, it IMMEDIATELY gets dashed. There were multiple times when I had to take breaks because it was so upsetting. Chapter 29, in particular, will haunt me forever. It is rare to have such a visceral reaction to a book, but oh my god, I experienced every possible emotion reading this one:
"Every lemon will bring forth a child, and the lemons will never die out."
"When I die, I'm going to tell God everything."
“Know that even in death, you are my life.”
"When I leave, it won’t be easy. It’s going to shred my heart to ribbons and all the pieces will be scattered along Syria’s shore, with the cries of my people haunting me till the day I die."
“Bury me before I bury you, please.”
Like, you're kidding...
This is the story of a young Syrian woman, Salama, who loses her ENTIRE family in the Syrian Revolution and spends her days working as a surgeon at a hospital, saving lives, despite only having one year of medical training (for pharmacy school!!). Salama lives in Homs, which is the city perhaps best known as the site of a horrific military siege that lasted over three years and caused unimaginable death and destruction. At the hospital, Salama is surrounded by dying children, victims of bombings, chemical weapons, and more. As a result, Salama suffers from terrible PTSD, which manifests in the physical form of Khawf or "fear" in English. He plagues her and fills her with immense guilt and shame.
Amongst this background, Salama experiences one of the sweetest love stories I have ever read with Kenan, an animator who pushes Salama to think deeply about her role in the Revolution and the future of Syria. Should they stay and fight (and face certain death)? Or leave to protect themselves and Kenan's siblings (and risk death)? Their story is so precious and speaks to how important love and family are in getting through such traumatic events. They have so many special moments, but their invisible strings are just.... wow... It is a bit cheesy, but even still, I loved their love story & found family <33
In essence, this is a story about determination, fear, friendship, love, trauma, and hope--most of all. The prose is beautiful, and while it's a little cliche and repetitive, this is a 5-star read for me. Despite the dark tone, this is a YA book, which explains the flowery language and almost flawless male love interest lol. I debated lowering my ranking, but honestly, the message of this book--and the powerful emotions it conveys--is so much more important to me than these other issues. If you're in the right headspace, I highly recommend this book. For those who, like me, have only encountered Syria through the news without hearing directly from those affected by its unimaginable violence, this is another Helena-approved must-read.
"Every lemon will bring forth a child, and the lemons will never die out."
"When I die, I'm going to tell God everything."
“Know that even in death, you are my life.”
"When I leave, it won’t be easy. It’s going to shred my heart to ribbons and all the pieces will be scattered along Syria’s shore, with the cries of my people haunting me till the day I die."
“Bury me before I bury you, please.”
Like, you're kidding...
This is the story of a young Syrian woman, Salama, who loses her ENTIRE family in the Syrian Revolution and spends her days working as a surgeon at a hospital, saving lives, despite only having one year of medical training (for pharmacy school!!). Salama lives in Homs, which is the city perhaps best known as the site of a horrific military siege that lasted over three years and caused unimaginable death and destruction. At the hospital, Salama is surrounded by dying children, victims of bombings, chemical weapons, and more. As a result, Salama suffers from terrible PTSD, which manifests in the physical form of Khawf or "fear" in English. He plagues her and fills her with immense guilt and shame.
Amongst this background, Salama experiences one of the sweetest love stories I have ever read with Kenan, an animator who pushes Salama to think deeply about her role in the Revolution and the future of Syria. Should they stay and fight (and face certain death)? Or leave to protect themselves and Kenan's siblings (and risk death)? Their story is so precious and speaks to how important love and family are in getting through such traumatic events. They have so many special moments, but their invisible strings are just.... wow... It is a bit cheesy, but even still, I loved their love story & found family <33
In essence, this is a story about determination, fear, friendship, love, trauma, and hope--most of all. The prose is beautiful, and while it's a little cliche and repetitive, this is a 5-star read for me. Despite the dark tone, this is a YA book, which explains the flowery language and almost flawless male love interest lol. I debated lowering my ranking, but honestly, the message of this book--and the powerful emotions it conveys--is so much more important to me than these other issues. If you're in the right headspace, I highly recommend this book. For those who, like me, have only encountered Syria through the news without hearing directly from those affected by its unimaginable violence, this is another Helena-approved must-read.