Review: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
Quick Info:
Book type: Novel
Target age: 14-17 years old
Recommended age: 14+
Plot: Salma Kassab was a pharmacy student when the Syrian revolution broke out but now she volunteers at a hospital in Homs helping the wounded while secretly trying to escape her beloved country to protect her best friend and sister-in-law before she gives birth. As time progresses her mental state continues to deteriorate as “Khawf” seems to follow her everywhere. In her battle between staying and leaving, Salma is confronted with her own morality and the unexpected possibility of love.
Opinion + Review:
I actually read this book almost a full year ago and have been mulling over it since! I had many mixed emotions and wanted to be able to give a fair and honest review. I tend to go back and edit nearly all my reviews after some time so it isn’t surprising to me that it took so long for me to write this!
To be fully transparent I think this book’s marketing gave me different expectations for it, which led to some disappointments and is why I am having a hard time teasing out my opinion and my review. This book was marketed to be about the revolution in Syria, however I found it to be more of a story about Salma’s interpersonal relationships with the war as a backdrop. Had I been told this was a halal romance novel set in the Syrian War, I would have found this to be a more accurate representation of the novel.
No book is perfect and neither is Muslim representation, however I appreciate the author’s note on how she wanted to write inspirational hijabi characters who loved their hijab. I could see that in her characters and the story and think that it was lovely to see that their defining characteristics weren’t about the hijab or their journey through it. I also appreciated the author’s take on the romance in the novel. Of course, it is a fictional story so the way it works out is deeply romanticized! However, even amidst the war the two leads get married nearly immediately to make their relationship halal. I really respect the author’s decision to not leave any grey area on the right way to handle interest in someone.
I wish there was more content around the characters’ relationship with Allah SWT and salah. I read this book during the height of the Palestinian genocide and so I found the lack of deen to be a bit jarring considering what I was seeing in real life.
I think the writing was light in a way that would be easier for a younger reader to digest such heavy topics butI found there to be a lot of repetition (particularly Studio Ghibli, which was mentioned 18 times!) and I didn’t find the physical manifestation of Khawf to be impactful or plausible. That being said, I think a teenage reader would be more capable and willing to suspend their belief and appreciate such a tangible representation of the stress Salma is going through.
I will say there was one twist at the end that did get me! Do I think that what Salma went through could have clinically happened to someone in real life? Not likely, but it made for an interesting story!
One thing that I wish the author was more mindful about was her dedications and the people she expressed gratitude towards in her novel. I understand authors feel deep appreciation for artists that have inspired them, but I do wish she didn’t start her dedication of this novel to Hayao Miyazaki (the director of Studio Ghibli). I would also respectfully disagree with her choice to mention BTS and other celebrities in her author’s note and bio.
I would have loved to see a page where people could find sites, articles and other information on what was happening in Syria and if an article related to some of the situations that inspired her to write certain scenes. I think it is important to bring people back to reality after reading this novel and having them feel the desire to know more about what had happened.
Content:
Sister-in-law makes comment alluding to her sex life with the Salma’s brother
Rape mentioned by word only
Torture mentioned by word and briefly described for a sentence
Semi-graphic scenes of injuries
2 counts of PG-13 cursing
Main character gets groped and the scene for possible rape is set (does not happen)
Excerpts:
Excerpts from books are a glimpse of the content that is found and are not every instance of un-Islamic and/or “iffy” content.
If you are interested in certain excerpts of this book please feel free to contact me and I will add them!
