傷痛，內疚與煙硝之下，仍有愛，也仍有希望。當敘利亞對自由的呼聲終於匯聚成一股滔天洪流，藥學生Salama留在家鄉荷姆斯，自願幫忙收治醫院裡因武裝衝突而迅速增加的傷患。情勢日益嚴峻，她明白自己是該考慮帶著懷有身孕的嫂嫂離開，免於飢餓與恐懼，但她一走，又有誰會來幫助眼前這些人呢？此時，Khawf(阿拉伯語，「恐懼」之意)出現了，她是Salama在內心激烈拉扯與創傷下產生的幻象。她因上街抗議被抓走的父親與哥哥、她深愛的家鄉、那些她無力回天，拯救不了的傷患與孩童，Khawf在Salama的夢中縈繞不去，提醒她每一件失去的事物。但縱使Khawf不斷催促，當她遇見想盡辦法將敘利亞現況放上社群網路的少年Kenan，她離鄉的決定開始動搖。在烽火下滋長的愛情，成了力量，也成了牽掛。而他們很快就會發現，他們即將面對的，不是一場場武裝衝突，而是一場革命。Burning with the fires of hope and possibility, AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW will sweep you up and never let you go.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 was even supposed to be meeting a boy to talk about marriage.Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors. She knows that she should be thinking about leaving, but who will help the people of her beloved country if she doesn't? With her heart so conflicted, her mind has conjured a vision to spur her to
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 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
