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July’s FYA Book Club Pick

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As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

Since the military siege began on the Syrian town of Homs, Salama’s life has utterly transformed. She used to be a promising pharmacy student; now she’s a barely-trained nurse at the local hospital where medicine is increasingly in short supply. She used to have a mother, father, and brother; now she mourns the death of her mother in a bombing while praying that her father and brother, both taken by the military, have died rather than remain tortured in prison. She used to dream about getting married and building a life in her town; now she’s focused on keeping her promise to her brother to leave Syria with her sister-in-law, Layla, who is pregnant. But escape routes are rare and expensive, and Salama finds herself torn between leaving to keep Layla safe and staying to continue helping the patients who flood the hospital daily. Then there’s Khawf, who second guesses her every move and haunts her every night—the key word being “haunt,” because Khawf isn’t real. He’s all of Salama’s fears personified, as she puts it: “a defense mechanism my brain has provided, trying to ensure my survival by any means necessary.” As the two battle over her future against a backdrop of violence and unyielding resistance, the lines between right and wrong blur beyond recognition.

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