This isn't a long book - it doesn't need to be. The author manages to say so much without the need for lengthy description.
We see a snapshot in the lives of Sama and Hadi, a young Syrian couple who met and have settled in the US. They're forging a life for themselves, a new future without the daily spectre of war. Sama is pregnant when Hadi has to travel to Syria for the funeral of his father.
Unfortunately this is in the Trumpian age and we all know that President's attitude to refugees. Hadi is denied permission to return. What do you do when you are forcibly (illegally) separated from your spouse?
This book really highlights the perils of being a refugee, the chance of instantly having the rug pulled from under you, the struggle of trying to belong elsewhere, the relief of being safe but the underlying guilt of leaving your parents behind.
It's poignant, often heart breaking and the comparison with migrating birds is beautifully observed.
Essential reading.
We see a snapshot in the lives of Sama and Hadi, a young Syrian couple who met and have settled in the US. They're forging a life for themselves, a new future without the daily spectre of war. Sama is pregnant when Hadi has to travel to Syria for the funeral of his father.
Unfortunately this is in the Trumpian age and we all know that President's attitude to refugees. Hadi is denied permission to return. What do you do when you are forcibly (illegally) separated from your spouse?
This book really highlights the perils of being a refugee, the chance of instantly having the rug pulled from under you, the struggle of trying to belong elsewhere, the relief of being safe but the underlying guilt of leaving your parents behind.
It's poignant, often heart breaking and the comparison with migrating birds is beautifully observed.
Essential reading.