As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow

The breathtaking story of love and loss in the Syrian revolution

By: Zoulfa Katouh

Narrated by: Sarah Agha

Bloomsbury presents As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh, read by Sarah Agha.

An epic, emotional, breathtaking story of love and loss set amid the Syrian revolution. Burning with the fires of hope and possibility, AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW will sweep you up and never let you go.
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS DISCOVER BOOK OF THE YEAR

'This is an important book. Everyone should read it' – Elizabeth Laird, award-winning author of Welcome to Nowhere
'Wrenching and lyrical' – Samira Ahmed, New York Times bestselling author of Internment
'Hauntingly beautiful ... a must read' – Huda Fahmy, author of Huda F Are You
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Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She was even supposed to be meeting a boy to talk about marriage.

Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors. She knows that she should be thinking about leaving, but who will help the people of her beloved country if she doesn't? With her heart so conflicted, her mind has conjured a vision to spur her to action. His name is Khawf, and he haunts her nights with hallucinations of everything she has lost.

But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, when she crosses paths with Kenan, the boy she was supposed to meet on that fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all. Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.
_______________©2022 Zoulfa Katouh (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Critic reviews

Zoulfa Katouh writes from the heart about the Syria she knows and loves. She tells with an authentic voice one of the great and most tragic stories of our time. The tender love story at the heart of the novel humanises the horrors of war and the shocking tragedy that has befallen Syria. This is an important book. Everyone should read it

A searing story of war, loss, family and love, of seeking grace in madness and hope in tragedy, AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW is a phenomenal tale, a piercing keen for the Syria that was and the Syria that is. An absolute must read.

By turns heart-wrenching and heart-warming, Zoulfa Katouh’s debut is an unflinching and eye-opening exploration of the impact of war. Beautiful, powerful and ringing with emotion, it will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.

As gorgeous as it is groundbreaking, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow holds many things at once: beauty and ruin; brutality and sweetness; tender love in the midst of shattering violence. Katouh writes with urgency and grace, and while she never shies from the horrors of war, neither does she miss a single note of hope—and there are so many. This book is devastatingly beautiful.

Wrenching and lyrical, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow heralds a stunning new voice in young adult literature. This heartbreakingly beautiful novel challenges the reader to open their hearts and minds to the ongoing revolution in Syria against a ruthless dictator--one who has taken too many lives and forced over 7 million Syrians to flee their homeland. Zoulfa Katouh reminds us of the awesome power of love, hope, and tenacity even in the most desperate circumstances. A gorgeous, compelling read that you will not be able to put down.

We don’t deserve Katouh’s gorgeous words and heartbreaking story, but she has blessed us with it anyway. AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW is not only stunningly written, it’s also an incredibly important work of our time, a book that will no doubt touch millions and leave us all broken and aching for more of Katouh’s writing.

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow is hauntingly beautiful. Katouh masterfully tells a story that's both painful and captivating, you won't be able to put the book down. Her characters are so achingly real they'll live with you weeks after you've finished reading. The story manages to embrace fear in the time of war, love in spite of loss, and hope in the face of darkness. I cannot stress it enough, this book is a must read.

Brilliant, beautiful, powerful. As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow will leave a profound mark on your soul, transforming the way you see love, loss, and the human capacity for resilience and hope that soars above all

Insightful and heartbreaking

This is a book about the revolution in Syria from 2011. The internal “war” that saw thousands of people lose EVERYTHING had my heart outside my chest the whole time, sadly it doesn’t seem like life is any better today. It made me reflect on real people’s lives in a war stricken community. The attempt at normal life, love and relationships in between the bombs, the snipers, the rape, the deep trauma, the hallucination, the pain of it all. The hope that lives in the people’s hearts for peace, freedom and normal life. The hope that the world will see them. They hope that they matter to the world. The hope that they too are human. The whole time I listened to the book, I had a picture of Gaza. Lord have mercy.

Heart breakingly beautiful!

This book is going to haunt be for a very long time. The writing is amazing book is hauntingly sad yet so impactful and worth the read!

Learning more about Syria

Sometimes a little melodramatic, but captivating. A few surprises. Characters at times somewhat simplistic, but the story draws you in.