This book depicts wartime Syria from 2012-2016. The civil war between ISIS and The Free Syrian Army for control over the city of Aleppo is a war unlike one I’ve ever read about. This story, while a work of fiction, closely follows true history.
-Dr. Sami Hasan is a brilliant and talented surgeon that cannot keep up with the influx of those injured by the war. To treat a rebel could mean death by the Mukhabarat. There are spies everywhere waiting to turn you in. All he cares about are treating his patients and he has little time for anything else, including his family.
-American Hannah and Swede Oskar are humanitarian workers stationed in Syria, trying to get back to Turkey when they get caught up in a protest. While hiding from the Mukhabarat, Oskar severely breaks his leg and they rush him to the hospital where they cross paths with Dr. Hasan. While recovering from surgery, Oskar witnesses the death of his hospital roommate (the son of a prominent Mukhabarat officer) and flees without telling Hannah.
-We follow how the lives of Dr. Hasan, Hannah and Oskar play out and how they intertwine throughout. We see how the war affects their families, especially the family of Dr. Hasan. The level of humanity that Hannah and Dr. Hasan possess throughout this story is mind blowing. I can only imagine how much pain, tragedy and struggles of those that serve others under these horrific conditions have to endure...yet they continue to help and serve others. They are selfless and heroic and the world could not continue without them.
This book is an absolute MUST READ. I would highly recommend this book to absolutely everyone. It’s a deep and thought provoking book that forces our eyes open to the atrocities that still happen in the world today.
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