As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
I stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh, and every lost hour of sleep was worth it. I was so eager and anxious to know how the story would unfold that I just couldnβt put it down. Without a doubt, this is the best book Iβve read this month so far.
This is a story about finding hope and love in the midst of tragedy, death, and danger. Despite the trauma and heartbreak woven through its pages, it never loses sight of the resilience and small moments of joy that make life worth living, even with the harsh realities of an ongoing revolution against tyranny. Zoulfa Katouh writes so beautifully and intentionally that I could feel every emotion between the pages.
Itβs a reminder that while many of us live in safety, others are simply trying to survive. It puts things into perspective, showing how fragile peace can be and how important it is to see the people behind the headlines.
Iβm so glad Salama and Kenan found each other. We all deserve love, hope, and someone to stand beside us when the world feels like itβs falling apart. They may be fictional, but the pain they carry, the courage they show, and their fight for a better future reflect the real experiences of many. For Syrians, and for countless others around the world, this isnβt just a story. Itβs their truth, their daily reality, and their ongoing struggle to hold on to hope is very real, even if the world turns a blind eye.
This is fiction grounded in reality, and it demands to be known and felt. I would recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction with a heartfelt and wholesome love story.
"π¬ππππ πππππ ππππ πππππ πππππ π πππππ , πππ πππ ππππππ ππππ πππππ π ππ πππ." π
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 teenagerβs 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 with the 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 areβnot a war, but a revolutionβand decide how she, too, will cry for Syriaβs freedom.