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Publisher Description
A love letter to Syria and its people, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a speculative novel set amid the Syrian Revolution, burning with the fires of hope, love, and possibility. Perfect for fans of The Book Thief and Salt to the Sea.
Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her older 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.
Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her older 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.
226 Reviews
4.5
molly
Created 21 days agoShare
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“beautifully written.. i think i felt nearly every emotion while reading this. i went into this book not knowing what to expect and i was blown away by the descriptive imagery and the pure emotion that the author put on the page. also for once, this is a ya book that is actually for ya audiences”Characters change and growDiverse charactersMulti-layered charactersBeautifully writtenBeautiful settingComing of ageHeartbreakingThought-provokingViolence
writingcaia
Created about 2 months agoShare
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“An enthralling, crushing story that left me thorn between the sadness and desperation at the horrors seen and told, and the hopeful magic of love and selflessness. It’s a really powerful story with the whole emotional journey of the how and why someone abandons their home and risks their life to flee their country.
One of the best historical fiction’s I’ve read, and one that tells of a recent history we all should know more about.”Reviewed in:the sad books book club
Believable charactersCharacters change and growMulti-layered charactersBeautifully writtenDescriptive writing
Faith Haru
Created about 1 month agoShare
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“It was beautifully written and This was so close to home and having Syrian family members. Re-living those moment on 2011 was painful reading it. However, I loved the book and the characters all of them . Being studio Ghibli fan , I loved those reference. Overall, the book was amazing , the emotions was deep and dealing with trauma /PTSD. Thank you Ana for creating their book club , my first book club I joined. I love reading sad and emotions books. Found the right club ❤️”Reviewed in:the sad books book club
Believable charactersMulti-layered charactersBeautifully writtenDescriptive writingFast-pacedRealistic settingThought-provokingViolence
zarlynsnook
Created about 2 months agoShare
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“some says this book does not feel like a young adult novel. but for me,it does. if you think about it, the book has the same elements of most popular YA dystopian books; the only difference is the setting. It was not dystopian. it was not set in the future. Syria is here. and the war is still happening.
this is probably one of the most painful books i've ever read 💔😭
with its beautifully written narrative,i keep on reading despite being too heartbroken on most parts of it.”Reviewed in:the sad books book club
Believable charactersBeautifully writtenFast-pacedSuspensefulDark settingRealistic settingComing of ageHeartbreakingThought-provokingViolence
Ritana
Created about 1 month agoShare
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“I love this book. I think it has the right balance of sadness and hurt with hope and love. The characters are well-built, mainly Salama, whom we follow throughout the whole story. It is deep and made me feel so many different emotions from beginning to end. It was a truly beautiful journey. / Thank you Ana for creating this book club so we can discover amazing books together. ☺️”Reviewed in:the sad books book club
Believable charactersMulti-layered charactersBeautifully writtenAddictiveHeartbreaking
About Zoulfa Katouh
Zoulfa Katouh is a Canadian with Syrian roots based in Switzerland. She is currently pursuing her master's in Drug Sciences and finds Studio Ghibli inspiration in the mountains, lakes, and stars surrounding her. When she’s not talking to herself in the woodland forest, she’s drinking iced coffee, baking aesthetic cookies and cakes, and telling everyone who would listen about how BTS paved the way. A dream of hers is to get Kim Nam-joon to read one of her books. As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow is her debut novel. She invites you to visit her online zoulfakatouh.com.
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