A Tale of Syrian Refugees That Forget To Evoke Emotions

In an age of increasing awareness of the plight of refugees, Christy Lefteri's new novel focuses on the path of two Syrian refugees, Nuri, a beekeeper, and his wife Afro, an artist. The novel is split into two timelines: each chapter begins with their life in the UK awaiting for a decision on their asylum request and then shifts to their journey from Aleppo to England.

Despite the fact that Lefteri's novel covers just such an important topic, for most of the book I felt bored. Many chapters failed to progress the story, aiming for a reflective tone and landing on dull instead. While I appreciated Nuri and Afra's struggles, I didn't feel any connection to them. In conveying their refusal to process the emotions of their trauma, Lefteri ended up also failing to convey any emotion to me as a reader.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.