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#springskies #poetic

A short, effective story of vulnerable children in s war zone. The child characters are well drawn. The “evil” adult characters were one note. There were many coincidences to move the story forward.

Characters were likable but I also loved that they did mistakes and weren't flawless.

This was a bit rough to read, this told about people who were living in the middle of the war and there weren't that many happy moments.

This had some repetitive sentences and also could have been a bit shorter. But this was pretty intriguing to read.

This is a story of Syrian refugees Nuri and Afra and their journey to find asylum in the UK. It was well written but the format of the dual timeline threw me off at times of what time frame I was in. Usually that doesn‘t affect me but honestly the story was just not keeping my interest and I started skimming just to get through. There was nothing in the story that made me want to read more to see how it ends. Just blah for me 😕

Utterly amazing.

Heart wrenching but necessary account of the civil war in Syria through the eyes of a future refugee. After having lost her family, still a teenager, she continues to experience the horrors first hand while working in a hospital and coping with her traumas.

"When I leave, it won‘t be easy. It‘s going to shred my heart to ribbons and all the pieces will be scattered along Syria‘s shore, with the cries of my people haunting me till the day I die."

This is the story of Nuri and Afra who we initially meet in the UK as they await their asylum hearing. From there we go backwards, to Syria where war rages on.

I really liked how the author showcased PTSD throughout this story, its an aspect that doesn't get much attention but an important one in the refugee experience.

Another book shining a light and giving a perspective that we don't see reflected in current media.

The story alternates between two timelines: the present and the past.

In the present, Nuri and Afra, a Syrian couple, seek asylum in England. Afra, once a prolific artist, is now blind, and Nuri fears for her well-being. They stay at an English bed and breakfast, awaiting their asylum interviews. Lucy Fisher, a social worker, assists them in the process. The past timeline reveals Nuri‘s life before the war. ⬇️

“The most important places on a map are the places we haven't been yet.”

#ittakesallkinds #withmap

I read this for a book club, & while it was not something I would have picked up on my own, it was definitely a powerful & memorable read. Yusra Mardini was 17 & a competitive swimmer in Syria when the war started and she lost her home. She and her sister Sara made the long journey to Berlin via Istanbul, including a perilous trip by dinghy from Izmir to the Greek island of Lesbos. A poignant and sadly necessary reminder that refugees are people.