** spoilers **
I am very, very thankful that I got to read this. So firstly, thank you to Orell Füssli for gifting us this book. Secondly, thank you to Zoulfa Katouh for putting this thought-provoking, tough and bittersweet story out there. It seems wrong to say that I enjoyed reading it, as the main theme is so dark and horrible, but Zoulfa does a very good job weaving in hopeful and lighter moments. It’s this combination that makes us root for all the people we meet - even Am.
On the whole, the characters are all written with so much depth. Not just the main ones but also Dr. Ziad and Nour for example. Their actions in these horrific circumstances seemed all very authentic and it was very easy to empathise with them.
There were a few moments that broke my heart (the bombing of the hospital for example), but I do share the thoughts with many other readers that the revelation of Layla’s situation was absolutely gut-wrenching - and yet also made so much sense. Layla and Khawf both were such powerful storydrivers! Khawf symbolising fear in Salama’s life and Layla countering this with her embodiment of hope. Wonderfully written!
Though the love story threw me off a bit at the beginning, I was glad that it was there in the end, as it lifted some of the heaviness of the setting and also made for some swoon-y scenes here and there. Kenan is such a lovely young man!
I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t know much about the Syrian war, but it made me think a lot, and I do plan on informing myself more on this.
There was never a thought on the story being too dramatic or inauthentic which makes for a very terrifying sequence of events.
That’s exactly why I’m glad that there’s an epilogue. Though in my opinion war will sadly always happen somewhere in the world, and there will always be people who’ll have to deal with their lives being ripped apart, I do feel like there’s also the other end. People who find a way to other countries where they might start anew (which in and of itself is hard too, but at least their lives aren’t threatend anymore).
So, I do feel like this ending was beautiful and perfect for this book.
As much as I’m a fan of open endings, this story, though spiked with hopeful glimpses here and there, was in need of some light. I’m glad that we got to see a sliver of what Salama’s and Kenan’s life looked after the horrific experiences.
