“This is the land of your father, and his father before him. Your history is embedded in this soil. No country in the world will love you as yours does.”
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow – Zoulfa Katouh
My Rating
In Summary of As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
“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 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 are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.” –Goodreads Synopsis
READ IF YOU LIKE: literary fiction; coming-of-age stories; learning about different cultures
Trigger Warnings: war, genocide, disturbing violence, sexual assault, death
| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Informative and immersive about the realities of war | Graphic, but understandably so |
| Beautifully descriptive writing | |
| Extremely well-developed characters & relationships | |
| Strong representation of PTSD and trauma |
“He and I are owed a love story that doesn’t end in tragedy.”
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow – Zoulfa Katouh
The Review
This novel might be labelled for young-adults, but it will capture hearts young and old alike.
Seriously. Drop everything else and read this book.
Honestly, I never knew much about the civil war in Syria… or even anything about Syria, to be honest. It is easy to mute global issues when you have the privilege of turning off the TV or ignoring the news updates on your phone. As the characters in this novel remind us, though, not everyone can do that. War is real and all-consuming for those it affects.
The characterization in this book is spectacular. Salama is a gem of a female protagonist, torn between helping her family flee Syria and staying to aid the horrifying medical needs at the local hospital. To make things even more complicated, Salama develops an interest in a boy that shares her passions for family, justice, and Syria. It is this romance that brings back the remnants of innocence amidst a broken landscape.
What impressed me most was Katouh’s representation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). From the start, readers are aware of Khawf’s presence; this representation of Salama’s conscience and fears both serve to guide her, but can also skew reality. This literal depiction of the mind allows readers to see how trauma affects its victims.
I will not sugar coat it – this could be one of the hardest books you will ever read. However, Syrians deserve to have their stories heard. Hearts might be broken along the way, but turning our attention and listening to the horrors that these people have faced is the least we can do.
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow Book Information
- Published: 2022
- Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- ISBN: 9780316351379
- Format: Hardback (this version purchased though Book of the Month)
- Length: 432 pages
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