Just to look at the cover, you can tell that this will be a beautiful book. However, I did not expect it to be as beautiful as it was.
The story follows Nuri (a beekeeper) and his wife Afra on their journey to the UK to seek asylum after fleeing Syria due to civil war. The first chapter of the book was powerful, and immediately helped to set the scene and also broke my heart. It took a couple of chapters to get used to the unique writing style of this book, however once I was in the flow I could not put it down and I preferred this books method of joining the past to the present.
The story really highlights the dangerous journey of escaping your home to seek refuge elsewhere, and made me feel ashamed of my ignorance of not actually knowing just how tough the lives of asylum seekers can be. It highlights the prejudice on men, and the risks to women and the devastation of kidnapping and drug running and influence on desperate children.
In all, the book broke my heart. However, I am glad I read it as it has pushed me to learn more and it is a beautiful book.
The story follows Nuri (a beekeeper) and his wife Afra on their journey to the UK to seek asylum after fleeing Syria due to civil war. The first chapter of the book was powerful, and immediately helped to set the scene and also broke my heart. It took a couple of chapters to get used to the unique writing style of this book, however once I was in the flow I could not put it down and I preferred this books method of joining the past to the present.
The story really highlights the dangerous journey of escaping your home to seek refuge elsewhere, and made me feel ashamed of my ignorance of not actually knowing just how tough the lives of asylum seekers can be. It highlights the prejudice on men, and the risks to women and the devastation of kidnapping and drug running and influence on desperate children.
In all, the book broke my heart. However, I am glad I read it as it has pushed me to learn more and it is a beautiful book.