Book Blog #415: As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

 

Title: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

Author: Zoulfa Katouh

# of Pages: 400 (paperback)

Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Romance

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 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.

Review: 3 stars, approaching 4 stars.

I liked this book more than I was expecting. I didn't know very much about Syria nor even it's more recent history. As Long as the Lemon Trees Grows gives a small window into the perspective of Syrian refugees, although the story would've benefitted from diving deeper into the revolution and motivations/history.

Much of the book, especially the beginning half, felt slow and repetitive (mostly showing how dangerous and horrific it was to live in Syria). There were also way too many Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki shout outs (the main characters really appreciate Miyazaki's films, and based on the dedication at the beginning of the book, this is the author Kaouh's own love for his films). It felt really random that Miyazaki was the only animated filmmaker getting mentioned consistently throughout this book, and repeatedly mentioning the characters' love for his work seemed like a shallow way to "develop" these characters. 

The last ~100 pages were the best and were almost in 4 star territory. I was much more invested in seeing how the story would play out and was shocked/holding my breathing during major events. 

Overall, not a bad book. It read like a YA; easy to read, no dense, literary descriptions, and first love!