This book was heart wrenchingly wonderful. The story tells of a husband and wife’s journey from Aleppo to find sanctuary in the UK with snippets of the past that show why they are fleeing.
It was beautifully written, I loved the technique Lefteri employed where some chapters ended on the same word that the new chapter started, it really drove home how something so simple can have two completely different meanings and can live in two completely separate worlds. This theme continues as we are given a glimpse at the ways in which grief and trauma affect the two main characters who, have ultimately shared the same experience.
I, as most of you will, have seen the stories in the news but nothing hit home for me as hard as this book. I cried within the first 20 pages and then again throughout. The way Lefteri writes the horrors of the past whilst ultimately sharing that there is always hope is extremely moving.
Although this is a work of fiction, there is truth behind it. People are undertaking the same journey daily and whilst I feel very fortunate to be where I am it left me deeply unhappy that this is happening around me. There are some amazing charities out there that are helping the refugees and there really is one run by a former beekeeper from Syria called ‘The Buzz Project’.
I would definitely recommend this book and have already bought and given a copy to a friend.