Age Group: 12+ Years

Description:

Set in Homs at the height of the Syrian Revolution, Zoulfa Katouh's powerful debut novel follows Salama Kassab, an eighteen-year-old pharmacy student turned reluctant hospital volunteer. Once an ordinary teenager with a loving family, Salama now stitches up the wounded with dwindling supplies, cares for her pregnant sister-in-law Layla, and is haunted by Khawf — a vivid manifestation of her own fear who urges her to flee the country before it is too late. Torn between loyalty to a homeland in flames and the instinct to survive, she finds an unexpected anchor in Kenan, a gentle young man determined to tell Syria's story to the world. Lyrical, heartbreaking and tender, this Governor General's Award finalist is a love letter to a wounded country and a stirring meditation on hope, faith and quiet resistance. Recommended reading age is 14+ yrs due to the mature content and themes.