For me, Aleppo and indeed, the entire Syrian war and refugee crisis are personified by 2 horrifying images that captured the utter horror of the situation, of a country melting, of lost hopes and utter despondency - that of Alan Kurdi, the 3 yo boy in a red tee and denim pants, dead and washed ashore Turkey, and that of Omran Daqneesh, who was found bloodied and dust covered, sitting horror struck after a bomb destroyed his house . After these real life horror stories, reading this book with that imagery for backdrop is hard. However, the book itself is one of hope and traces the story of Nuri Ibrahim, a beekeeper and his wife, Afra, an artist who has gone blind from the trauma of seeing her son killed in front of her eyes. Indeed, Sami’s outfit seems to be modeled on Alan Kurdi’s and the entire effect is haunting . The book is narrated by Nuri and traces their escape from Aleppo to getting to England. The pictures and voices painted by the book are all too real, and expectedly so. The author is daughter to parents who’ve dedicated themselves to serving refugees and so her voice rings true from her experiences at an actual camp . The book is real, raw, moving and a true testament to the resilience of human beings in the wake of true horrors . Recommend. Thanks @bookelphia for getting me this book. . Rating - 4/5
