A year ago, before the revolution, Salama watched her brother marry her best friend, Layla, and wondered when her own love story might begin. Now she works at the hospital – helping those she can, closing the eyes of those she can't. Layla and her unborn baby are all Salama has left.

In the last six months, I have participated in more surgeries than I can count and closed more eyes than I ever thought I would. 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. Another thing that irked me was the medical stuff. I'm pretty sure the author is a pharmacist (just like Salama in this book), but, as a medical student, I've seen some concerning "doctor oopsies" that were hard for me to overlook. I'm not a fan of self-inserts in books usually, and this book was no exception. I feel like Salama's work and profession could've worked much better and been more realistic if her role was toned down slightly.

Book Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Romance, War, Young Adult, Young Adult Contemporary The story takes place in Homs, which was a purposeful decision on the part of Katouh. “Homs is known as the birthplace of the Syrian Revolution. I wanted to pay an homage to that city,” she says. It makes the book so much stronger in its impact, but also gives it peace in the losses (you'll know what I'm talking about when you read) Definitely need to reread when it comes out because apparently there are little things I missed (you wouldn't believe it, her mind !!) Lemons are an homage to one of Nizar Qabbani’s verses in a poem, which was about Syria,” Katouh explained.

This quote is one that will stay with me for a long time. I love the power behind the words and you can feel the conviction it was spoken in. Meski dunia memiliki akses untuk melihat gambaran-gambaran ini, dunia tak akan pernah bisa memahami situasi konflik Suriah secara sempurna seperti layaknya warga Suriah sendiri. Di sinilah peran Koutuh, penulis berdarah Suriah sangat dibutuhkan.References to lemons are dotted throughout the book, from the scent they emit to their place in the country’s rich cultural heritage. But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all. each character had a lesson to give and each lesson will be engraved in my heart. these characters were so real in every way. the difficult decisions they had to make and the consequences that come with each choice as well as fear having a role in love, hope, and happiness. Keinginannya untuk memberikan pemahaman soal situasi di Suriah membuat Katouh mengelaborasi perjuangan penuntutan kebebasan Suriah melalui kegigihan para masyarakat Suriah yang memutuskan tinggal di Suriah. Katouh menampilkannya lewat para anak-anak dan muda-mudi yang tanpa takut tetap berjalan beringan membawa bendera Suriah sambil meneriakkan kalimat pembebasan negerinya. Dengan mengelaborasi perjuangan para karakternya inilah, Katouh mampu memperlihatkan pada pembaca tentang Suriah yang tak pernah kita pahami atau lihat lewat kacamata dunia. Narasi yang begitu humanis dengan penekanan pada perlawanan juga harapan di tengah kengerian konflik bersenjata.

Katouh mengajak para pembacanya masuk ke dalam kengerian konflik Suriah melalui realitas Salama Kassab, mahasiswa farmasi yang karena keadaan terpaksa harus jadi dokter relawan di sebuah rumah sakit di Homs, Suriah. Jika berbicara mengenai konflik bersenjata di Suriah, dunia kerap kali menggambarkannya sebagai perang saudara. Penjelasan dari Wikipedia atau dalam berbagai pemberitaan media nasional dan internasional jadi buktinya. Penyebab meletusnya konflik bersenjata ini pun seringkali direduksi menjadi perseteruan Sunni-Syiah. Media Merdeka misalnya jadi salah satu media Indonesia yang memberitakan penyebab konflik di Suriah berawal dari propaganda isu sektarian antara Sunni dan Syiah.There are so many other quotes but I don't want to spoil anything so you can experience it fully yourself,