In this novel by a British NGO who worked with Syrian asylum seekers in Greece, a young Syrian, Nuri, refuses to join his father’s business and becomes a beekeeper instead. When the civil war breaks out, he is forced to become a refugee, fleeing with his family to Turkey, Greece, and ultimately Britain.The narrator is Nuri and the story is entirely related in the first person singular.
Flashbacks provide a vivid picture of that horrible experience. But they also confused me as his PTLD dreams and nightmares seem to occur at random and I found it difficult to distinguish them from the reality and profound vulnerability he experienced. It seems that his wife has suddenly gone completely blind as a hysterical response to the trauma of the bombing.
I suspect this plot would be easier to follow as a written work, but it does expose the horror of what millions of people experienced in 2015-16.
3.5/5
Thanks, Goodreads & Book Browze.
The Passionate Reader 