As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

Eighteen year old Salama finds hope in war-torn Syria. TW: sexual assault, descriptions of war and conflict.

Salama is eighteen when, with only one year of training as a pharmacist, she has to work as an emergency doctor in her local hospital in Homs, Syria. The situation is dire, and she has to see things and deal with situations no one should: a never-ending stream of patients, including young children, with horrific injuries.

All the time, she fights with the question: Should she stay put and help as many people as she can in Syria, even though she faces almost certain death? Or should she try to escape, leaving the home and people she loves?

Amongst all the horror, Salama finds love, and then you get to know the real Salama, under the urgent realities of living in a place of conflict.

This is a fast-paced book with surprising twists. The beauty of Syria, and the horrors of war, took shape for me through the vivid descriptions. I was up sobbing at 3am with this one.

This is a book for #exploringconflict #war #grief #conflict #refugees #immigration #displacement #lovestory

Video review here.