The Beekeeper of Aleppo: A Novel

I loved this book. I read it back in 2023 and I found it so captivating. There's a mix of emotions as you read it. You get to learn about situations like what these characters went through and realize how hard it is for others to find that happiness, peace and that safety they long for. Recommended!

4.5 stars Let me start off by saying that this is a book everyone needs to read, especially given the current environment we live in with the immigration issue at the forefront of topics recently here in the Western part of the world. Though I have read plenty of books over the years about the immigrant experience from different viewpoints, including from the refugee and asylum perspectives, few of those books have been as haunting and affecting as this one. The story of Nuri and Afra and their harrowing journey to escape the conflict in Syria, the tremendous losses they endure one right after the other -- the loss of their home, their livelihoods, their family, their precious child, even their own souls – ordinary citizens caught up in horrible circumstances not of their making, already having to suffer through so much loss and devastation, yet somehow still finding the will to live, to push ahead through the grief and the desperation and finally arrive at their destination, only to face an uncertain future. This is one of those stories that reminded me once again just how much we often take for granted as we go about our daily lives and how we should be so much more grateful than we usually are for everything we do have. This was a heart-wrenching, emotional read that brought tears to my eyes more than once, yet it was also thought-provoking and relevant to so much of what is going on in the world today. I will admit that it did take me a little while to get used to the book’s unique format (with the last word of each chapter acting as the bridge that starts the flashback to the past in the next chapter), but the beautifully written story as well as the realistically rendered characters (all of whom I adored) more than made up for my brief struggle with the format. Nuri and Afra are characters that I know will stay with me for a long time to come, as the penetrating sadness around their story is one that is difficult to forget. With that said though, there were also moments of hope amidst the desperation, such as when Nuri and Afra finally make it to their destination (not a spoiler, since we are already told this from the very first page) and are met with much kindness from the people they end up staying with at the refugee center as they wait for their asylum applications to be processed. These interactions at the refugee center in present time brought a certain element of hope to the story, which helped to balance out the overwhelming sadness of the past narrative recounting Nuri and Afra’s harrowing journey – at the same time, it made their story all the more poignant and powerful. Part of what made this story feel so realistic was the fact that the author Christy Lefteri based a lot of it on her previous experience working with refugees as a UNICEF-sponsored volunteer in Athens, Greece. In addition to that though, there was also Lefteri’s personal connection as a daughter of refugees (both her parents fled war-torn Cyprus back in the 1970s), which combined with her volunteer experience to produce such a powerful and inspiring story. I know my review probably doesn’t say a whole lot, but in a way, the vagueness is a bit deliberate, as I feel the story already speaks for itself and nothing I say will be able to do it justice. All I’m going to say is that this book definitely deserves to be read – and sooner rather than later! Received ARC from Ballantine Books (Random House) via NetGalley.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Child death, sexual assault (both "off-screen"), PTSD. * * * Nuri Ibrahim was a beekeeper w/ his cousin, Mustafa. They had a thriving business selling their honey and other products. Nuri's wife, Afra, was an artist who sold her unusual paintings in the local market. They share a young son, Sami. They have a simple but rich life -- until civil war erupts in Syria, eventually making its way to their city of Aleppo. Mustafa flees toward his wife and daughter in England, after his son is found in a local morgue after being killed by combatants. Mustafa emails Nuri, begging him to get out. But Afra refuses to leave, wanting to stay in her home after being blinded and losing Sami in a bombing attack. The hives are gone; Afra's ability to paint is gone; even most of their house is gone. Nuri finally convinces Afra that they must leave, when his life is threatened by a gang of combatants. This is just the beginning of their harrowing story as refugees! The story is told in a back-and-forth chronological style, beginning w/ Nuri and Afra in a holding pattern in a refugee home in southern England, awaiting asylum. (So, we know they at least made it to England....) But HOW they made it to the purgatory of all refugees in a strange land is the story. Lefteri propels the story w/ the most unusual segue from one section of a chapter: she uses a common word to end one section and begin the next. This is a really effective plot device, and I loved it, along w/ Lefteri's sympathetic portrayal of an unusual manifestation of PTSD (IMHO) and the horrors of the refugee camps. Will Nuri and Afra ever be reunited w/ Mustafa and his family? At what price? I honestly feel that EVERYONE should read "The Beekeeper of Aleppo," especially if one feels that undocumented immigrants don't deserve our basic humanity. A high 4 stars rounds up to 5 stars.

Polecam

The book was nicely written; a quick and easy read. The author paints a picture of the experiences of refugees and the hardships they face when trying to get to a safer country; her experiences as a UN volunteer make reading this all the more real and eye-opening. The moving story of the characters in this book highlights the importance of understanding the alternative view and not one that is usually portrayed in the media of refugees being a 'burden' on countries they flee to. I will look forward to more from the author as I found that her choice of clear and simple language allowed the book to flow well and despite the subject and content of the book, made it all the more entertaining to read. Would definitely recommend.

Beautiful book. Heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time.

Loved this book. Good eye opener and well written

シリアでは、アサド政権と反体制派の戦いが熾烈を極めて、Aleppo の街は崩壊していく。私たちもテレビの画面でその戦禍の様子をしばしば目にし、なぜ同じ国どうしでこんな事態が起こるのだろうと心を痛めるが、しかしそれは遠い国の出来事として通過していく。 本書は2016年、Aleppo の街で養蜂を営む青年 Mustafa と彼の年下のいとこの Nuri が、それぞれの事情で、ついに故郷を捨てて、難民となり、イギリスを目指す物語である。Mustafa は目の前で人々が銃撃されるのを目撃し、あまりの凄絶さに、自分も陰から彼らを撃ってしまい、逃げるために街を去る。Nuri に手紙を残して。 Nuri には妻の Afra と息子の Sami がいたが、半壊の家に暮らしていた彼らに爆撃が襲い、Sami は青い空を見上げたまま死亡し、Afra は失明する。 Mustafa はいくつもの難関を通り抜けて、今ではイ ギリスのヨークシャーで、また養蜂を一から始めようとしている。そして Nuri に自分を追ってイギリスに来るようにと誘う。時折の機会を見つけてはメールをやりとりする2人の、相手を思う心には胸をつかれる。Mustafa は言う。Where there are bees there are flowers, and where there are flowers there is new life and hope. 物語は主に Nuri と Afra のイギリスへ向かおうとする様子を中心に展開する。シリアからトルコのイスタンブールへ、そしてゴムボートで（テレビの画面さながらに) ギリシャを目指す。それは言葉に尽くせない艱難の連続。アテネの難民キャンプではいろいろなことが起こる。知り合った幾人かとはある種の連帯感や、共感も生まれる。シリアから、アフガニスタンから、アフリカから、ソマリアから、様々な言葉も飛び交い、敵愾心をあらわにする者もいれば、温かい思いやりを示す人もいる。不確かな先行きを待ちながら過ごす難民生活は悲惨そのものだ。 ここで私が改めて知ることになったのは、どこの地域にも、ＮＧＯで働く人たちが、組織的に難民の世話をしていることだった。著者自身も同時期、ギリシャのアテネでユニセフのボランティアとして働いていたということで、その経験も生かされているのだろう、難民生活のようす、その中で生じる様々なできごとが、リアルに描かれている。 Nuri は目の見えなくなった Afra に献身的に寄り添う。しかし最愛の息子 Sami を失ったことで、あるいはギリシャでの待機中に起こった事柄で、ふたりの気持ちはすれ違ったり、屈折したものになったりする。けれど、その奥底にあるのはやはりお互いに対する変わらぬ愛だ。折にふれそれが読む者の心をうつ。 Nuri は、旅の途中に親しくなり、やがて姿を消した少年に、Ｓami の姿を重ね、アーティストだった Afra は、目が見えなくなって無気力に沈んでいたが、ノートパッドに絵を描き始め、Nuri は生きるために何をでもやり、密入国業者を探し当てて、イギリスへの道を模索する･････ 全体的に平易な英語で書かれているが、現在と過去の内容が行き来してわかりづらい部分も。ともあれ、難民の現実をリアルに描き出し、私たちにいろいろなことを教えてくれる。多くの人に読んでほしい本である。