Quite simply, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a story that needs to be heard, and needs to be heard now. It is a novel that gives important emphasis and heart to the plight that many humans around the world are facing – forced to flee their homes and lives to seek safety and survival.
This book tells the story of husband and wife, Nuri and Afra, and the terrible effects of war on them and their lives. They live in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo, where Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra an artist, and days are full of friends, family, food, natural beauty, love. Then, terribly, war forces them away from their home and drives them on a perilous journey in search of safety.
I loved so much about this book. It is structured in a really interesting way, which has such an effective jolting effect - your stomach lurches as you abruptly enter Nuri’s painful memories. The images that Lefteri creates for us are stark and striking – there is a beautiful simplicity to the language she uses and the symbols she draws on. The characters are also so drawn so fully – you feel immensely for them, and it is an honour to hear their story. At times I wondered if I would like to have heard more directly from Afra, with chapters narrated by her as well as Nuri. In the end I decided the novel was more powerful as it stands.
This book tells the story of husband and wife, Nuri and Afra, and the terrible effects of war on them and their lives. They live in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo, where Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra an artist, and days are full of friends, family, food, natural beauty, love. Then, terribly, war forces them away from their home and drives them on a perilous journey in search of safety.
I loved so much about this book. It is structured in a really interesting way, which has such an effective jolting effect - your stomach lurches as you abruptly enter Nuri’s painful memories. The images that Lefteri creates for us are stark and striking – there is a beautiful simplicity to the language she uses and the symbols she draws on. The characters are also so drawn so fully – you feel immensely for them, and it is an honour to hear their story. At times I wondered if I would like to have heard more directly from Afra, with chapters narrated by her as well as Nuri. In the end I decided the novel was more powerful as it stands.