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As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow

"A breath-taking story of love, hope and survival unfolds as a young Syrian woman suffering from PTSD confronts brutal conflicts"

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LoveReading4Kids Says

LoveReading4Kids Says

October 2022 Debut of the Month

Ferociously affecting and blazing with hope, Zoulfa Katouh’s As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow tells an unforgettable story of a young woman whose heart is conflicted between love for her family and love for her Syrian homeland.

It’s a powerful debut that cuts to the core of what it means to feel loss, longing and love. A formidable story about “the ones who have no choice but to leave their home”, as the author writes in her afterword.

Until the fight for freedom erupted in Syria, 18-year-old Salama was a pharmacy student with a family and future. Now pretty much all she has is voluntary hospital work that sees her strive to save those who’ve been injured by military bombings and sniper attacks.

While dealing with the ethical and emotional challenges of not being able to save all her patients, Salama is torn between needing to leave Syria to survive, and feeling she should stay to save her people and fight for her country. This devastating dilemma is heightened when she meets a young man, Kenan, who has links to her past. “This is my country. If I run away - if I don’t defend it, then who will?”, her tells her, and asserts he will never leave.

As they form a beautiful bond, the young couple realise there’s more than one way to rally for freedom, with Salama remarking that, “We are stripped from our choices, so we latch on to what will ensure our survival.” Transcending age boundaries, and showing the very worst and best of humanity, this reveals truths about a tyrannical regime that’s destroyed the lives of so many Syrians while telling a remarkable tale of love and hope.

Read more about this breathtaking debut in a Q&A with the author Zoulfa Katouh.

Joanne Owen

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