Book: As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction
Publishing Date: September 13, 2022
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis:
Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager’s life.
Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe.
But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths withthe boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all.
Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.
Content Warning: on page death and sexual assault. As well as, descriptions of torture, child abuse and torture, PTSD, starvation, and general descriptions of the horror that comes with war.
My Review:
Zoulfa Katouh is a wonderful weaver of words I say, it's almost like magic!
➳ Entranced from start to finish I couldn't put this book down for even a second. Zoulfa Katouh has such a charming way with words, there just weren't enough quotes I could mark down. The way she describes feelings and basically everything was so accurate and on point. There is utmost beauty in this book and I am so looking forward to her other works❤️
➳ Let's talk about the representation. The Muslim representation made me tear up. There was so much faith, hope and love woven in this book which is exactly how I would've loved to be represented as a Muslim woman. The characters prayed, had faith and what not! I obviously loved this aspect of this book the most!
➳ The lovely lovely characters made me want to go in the book, hug them tight and protect them immensely. I loved Salama's character, finally an MC I love😂 Then comes Kenan, heart of my heart❤️ He is so cute and extremely precious along with his siblings. I loved all the characters the author has written.
➳ Another reason to pick this book up is the groundbreaking reality of Syria, which this book is set in but whatever horrors are happening in this country are undoubtedly happening right now in countless other countries. This sad reality portrayed in this book broke my heart with it's accuracy and dreadfulness. But while it does wonderfully raise awareness about what's happening in Syria, it is also brimming with hope for a brighter future.
At the end all I can say is go read this beautiful and heartbreaking book about hope, love and joy. I cannot thank the author enough for writing such a wonderful book.❤️
Thank you so much TBR And Beyond Tours for an eARC and an opportunity for being on a tour for this book! The tour schedule can be found here.
Book Links:
About The Author:
Zoulfa Katouh is the only person in her family who can’t roll her tongue, but that’s okay because she writes characters who can do so. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Drug Sciences. She is trilingual in English, Arabic and German. Zoulfa currently resides in Switzerland where she finds inspiration in the Studio Ghibli picturesque scenery. Ever since her Mama gave her a copy of Anne of Green Gables when she was eight years old, she discovered the beauty of books. Soon enough she was sneaking books under her school desk to read while teachers went on about Math and Physics. Her imagination grew, and one day, she had the courage to pen down the stories that roam her mind. And she never stopped! Her speculative contemporary YA debut AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW comes out September 13th by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and September 15th by Bloomsbury Kids & YA UK, making her the first Syrian YA author to be published in the US and UK. She is represented by the warrior queen Alexandra Levickat Writers House.