4.5 stars (rounded up for the review, wow I wish that Goodreads had halves available that’d be incredibly convenient)!! When it isn’t packing emotional punches and pulling on your heartstrings with its very vivid and real descriptions of trauma, the destruction of war, and death, “As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow” is a beautifully written story of perseverance, and the presence of hope even if it initially seems futile. All of this, of course, ties into this being a cultural insight into the 2011 Syrian Civil War(although fictional characters are used to convey that). Sure, there’s a few timeline changes(creative liberties?) to make the events work within the plot, as detailed in the author’s note, but they are few, and this story still added not just a window into the atrocities Syrians have suffered through and survived, but a layer of humanity and heart. That layer was something that I hadn’t gotten to learn/read about as an American who’d only seen straightforward headlines and the occasional statistic. 

For all the hardships and tragedies within its plot, somehow, it felt as if Zoulfa’s writing was still offering out a hand of hope to help the readers get up to go through the remaining pages. Perhaps that was the work of the frequent references to Studio Ghibli movies, which become not just a part of the main (romantic) relationship but also a coping mechanism to these characters. While some may find this to be clashing with the tone or other elements, I disagree, Ghibli movies are known for making something lively and magical out of the mundane and that suits the kind of escapism Salama is trying to find in the moments where she can hope to find the mundane.

But, this was not an easy read by any means, if the subject matter wasn’t any indicator. The medical gore really got to me multiple times, and I couldn’t bring myself to finish this in one sitting. Regardless, I think it’s a worthwhile read! I just cannot say that I enjoyed it or had fun like I did with some of my other highly rated books.