As Long as the Lemon Trees Bloom - Large Format Novel

As long as the lemon trees bloom, there will be hope...

Salama Kassab, 18, had her whole life ahead of her when the revolution began in Syria and when the fighting took everything from her: her family, her future as a pharmacist.

All she has left is Layla, her pregnant sister-in-law, and her belief that she can help her country through her volunteer work at the hospital.

But she is torn between wanting to be useful and wanting to keep Layla safe. Just as she finally resigns herself to fleeing Syria, an encounter with a hopeful young activist will call everything into question.

"A searing story of war, grief, family, and love. A must-read." Sabaa Tahir, author of An Ember in the Ashes

"As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow will leave a deep mark on your soul." S. K. Ali, author of Love from A to Z

About the author: Zoulfa Katouh is a Canadian author with Syrian roots who now lives in Switzerland. She has a degree in pharmacy, like her heroine Salama. She also shares with her a love of books and a passion for the Studio Ghibli universe. As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is her first novel.

📖 Review from the Grimoire Ancien Bookstore

By our editorial & librarian committee

Zoulfa Katouh, a Canadian author with Syrian roots, delivers a poignant debut novel about the war in Syria with As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow, translated by Anne Guitton and published by Nathan. This narrative, praised by Sabaa Tahir and S. K. Ali, is much more than a testimony: it is a meditation on hope, grief, and resilience.

The strength of this novel lies in its grounding in the intimate experience of Salama Kassab, 18, who has lost everything: her family, her future as a pharmacist. Torn between her belief that she can help her country through her volunteer work at the hospital and her duty to keep Layla, her pregnant sister-in-law, safe, Salama embodies the moral dilemma faced by so many Syrians: to stay and be useful or to flee to survive.

The metaphorical title—"As long as the lemon trees bloom, there will be hope"—carries all the poetry and resilience of the Syrian people. The lemon trees, symbols of life and renewal, become the emblem of a hope that refuses to die despite the war. The encounter with a hopeful young activist challenges Salama's resignation, reminding us that love and commitment can still blossom in the heart of the ruins.

We recommend this novel to readers sensitive to humanitarian issues, to lovers of stories of resilience, and to all those who seek to understand the Syrian war through the eyes of a courageous young woman. A read that "will leave a deep mark on your soul."

Our rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — A poignant debut novel about hope, grief, and resilience in the heart of the Syrian war.