“I had forgotten that building could still stand, that there was a whole world out there that was not destroyed like Aleppo”
Ever thought how a life of an immigrant would be? imagine leaving everything behind – the streets you grew up on, memories that shaped you and the feeling of belonging, all because the home which once felt comforting and safe isn’t the same anymore
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri is a hauntingly beautiful historical fiction that captures the resilience of Syrian immigrants who escaped the devastating civil war—a conflict that stretched on for over 13 years, turning a beautiful city into piles of dust and broken dreams.
Afra and Nuri, the story’s protagonists, once had a simple yet fulfilling life in Aleppo. They had a beautiful home, friends, growing business, and a bright future to look forward to. It was almost like a fairy tale. But all of it came crashing down when the civil war began under the rule of Bashar al-Assad in the city of Damascus slowly rising up to all other cities of Syria. Their loved ones were lost, and The place they called home turned into a pile of rubble. There was no option but to flee, beginning their harrowing journey from Aleppo to England—a journey that tested them in unimaginable ways.
Afra, who was once a painter, lost her vision—both physically and emotionally—due to the horrors she witnessed, symbolizing the trauma and the lost of her colorful world. Nuri, a beekeeper, found himself carrying the weight of their survival while trying to hold on to hope. Their journey took them from Aleppo to Turkey, then to Greece, and finally to England. Along the way, they faced unimaginable hardships: the horrors of refugee camps, the closing borders in Macedonia, and the constant threat of danger with the feeling of being watched.
What kept them going, even in the face of despair, was a flicker of hope. A life where the shadows of fear no longer lingered, where the weight of constant threat could finally vanish and is replaced by the lightness of peace.
“Where there are bees there are flowers, and wherever there are flowers there is new life and hope.”
This novel by Christy Lefteri sheds light on the psychological scars left by war, the emotional toll of displacement, and the strength required to carry on. The story also explores the role of hope in the human spirit and that everyone needs something to hold onto. For Nuri, it is his friend Mustafa. For Afra, it is Nuri himself. The 13 years of conflict turned Syria—a country once filled with life and beauty—into a place of heartbreak and destruction. For the millions who fled, the Syria they knew now only exists in their memories, a painful reminder of what has been lost forever.
Reading The Beekeeper of Aleppo isn’t just an emotional experience; it’s a journey that will stay with you long after the last page. It’s more than just a story of war, displacement and destruction, it’s a story of human resilience and the unbreakable power of hope.
For Afra and Nuri, That hope, however small, was enough. It whispered promises of brighter mornings, laughter, and a future worth fighting for.
🌻🌻🌻
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