- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: Zaffre (2 May 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1785768921
- ISBN-13: 978-1785768927
Synopsis
In the midst of war, he found love
In the midst of darkness, he found courage
In the midst of tragedy, he found hope
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
What will you find from his story?
Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo – until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape.
As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss, but dangers that would overwhelm the bravest of souls. Above all – and perhaps this is the hardest thing they face – they must journey to find each other again.
Review
Every now and then a book comes along that has the wow factor as it combines a haunting and compelling plot, characters that you really connect with and touch your heart and feel every emotion under the sun; for me The Beekeeper of Aleppo is that novel. Nuri and Afra live in Aleppo with their son Sami, where Nuri and his cousin Mustafa keep bees and sell the honey from their shop. When the war comes they loose everything and decide to leave Aleppo and journey to England where Mustafa has already settled. This book follows their journey, the highs and lows as they risk it all for a new life. This book is just so beautiful to read yet hard at times as Nuri and Afra struggle to leave their homeland and make the perilous journey half way around the world.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo really opened my eyes to the war in Aleppo and how difficult the journey was out of Syria and the challenges faced by those fleeing to Europe. Like most people I knew a bit about the war from what I have seen on the news or read in the newspapers, but after reading this I realised how little I really knew. Christy Lefteri has a wonderfully descriptive writing style which is a feast for the senses. I have only seen images of Aleppo during the war, a city in ruins, but Christy paints the picture of the city before this with its heat, exotic smells, beautiful architecture and bright colours. There is a real sensuality to this picture of Aleppo and a complete opposite to what Nuri and Afra experience in England.
Nuri and Afra find themselves in some difficult and dangerous situations on their journey to England but what shines through is their courage, strength and love for each other in the face of adversity. Nuri is spurred on this journey by Mustafa, already in England and been granted asylum. Their journey is made more difficult by the fact Afra lost her sight after a bomb in Aleppo, so relies on Nuri for everything. In some ways her loss of vision stops her from seeing the most disturbing images that Nuri protects her from on their journey; the killing of children, and the awful immigration camps. Along the way they meet many people from different places, all with different stories to tell which I found both fascinating and horrifying at times. The story of Nuri and Afra’s journey reminded me of Homer’s Odyssey in the trials and adversity they faced on their way to a new life.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a story of love, war, family, loss and ultimately hope. Nuri and Afra show such strength, and courage and always find light in the darkest of times. Immigration is a topic that always makes the news and this book highlights how difficult the journey to England is for the refugees and the horrors of what they are running from. Beautiful, intelligent and emotional, this is a powerful read and and brilliant one.
