Publication date:
January 4, 2022
NetGalley/Edelweiss
Atria Books
Fiction, family life, digital, arc/304 pages stars: 4/5
8/15/22-8/15/22
This story of Sama and Hadi is told through alternating timelines from their lives in Syria and their attempts to live a free and safe life in the United States. In 2011, pro-democracy protests erupt in Syria, demanding the end of the authoritarian practices of the Assad regime, in place since 1971. As opposition militia form in 2012, the conflicts soon escalate into a civil war in Syria. The number of refugees over the next 5 years reaches 4.27 million in 2015, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. In 2017, not long after his inauguration, former President Trump enacted an Executive Order 13769 which was instituted to protect the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the US. This order banned entry for people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. This made it difficult for people get travel visas and re-entry back to US. The executive order would only change in 2021 after President Biden took office.
Sama moves to Boston ahead of Hadi where she is working on her dissertation on birds at Harvard University. When Hadi's father dies, he travels back to Syria for the funeral. At this time, Sama is pregnant, and they are expecting their first child, a boy. What was supposed to be a relatively quick trip turns into an unexpected situation having Hadi deported back to Syria when he tries to return home to Sama and his son. Anxiety rises and the importance of family are paramount as the family fight to be reunited.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from NetGalley, Edelweiss and Atria Books. My review is voluntary and my unbiased opinion.
https://www.edelweiss.plus/?sku=1982187425&g=4400
No comments:
Post a Comment