Salama Kassab is supposed to continue her pharmacy training and enjoy life surrounded by family. Instead, she volunteers at a hospital in Homs, treating those injured in the Syrian War. While she wants to continue her work in the hospital, Salama is secretly finding a way to flee the country with her pregnant sister-in-law. Torn between loyalty to her country and her will to survive, Salama has manifested her fear into a physical form named Khawf, who questions her every decision. Until one fateful day when she meets Kenan and starts doubting her resolve to leave home. Salama must now decide between her country and survival, and learn to use her voice to call for Syria's freedom.

LEMON TREES is a fascinating debut that broke my heart and gave me hope. The writing is hauntingly beautiful, the pacing holds the tension well, and the character development is perfect. Every piece of the story fits together flawlessly, and there's nothing I'd change about this book! I listened to the audiobook narrated by Rasha Zamamiri, and she did an excellent job conveying the emotions of Salama; the audiobook moved me to tears on several occasions.

As someone unfamiliar with the Syrian Revolution, I usually see pictures of rubble after bombing or fleeing refugees. In LEMON TREES, however, Katouh paints a complex picture of those involved, with their sadness and grief, but also hopes and dreams. I deeply appreciate Katouh's decision to give voices to those oppressed, break the stereotypes, and not just reduce casualties to numbers.

Even though LEMON TREES is classified as YA, there are a lot of depictions of PTSD, abuse, torture, death, war crimes, and sexual assault. Readers might find the events depicted in LEMON TREES soul-crushing, so please check the trigger warnings before reading. This book is incredibly well written, I couldn't believe this is a debut! Congratulations to Katouh on AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW; I can't wait for her future work, and I encourage everyone to read this book.