Saturday, January 23, 2021

The Beekeeper of Aleppo (Christy Lefteri)

Christy Lefteri
The Beekeeper of Aleppo

 

A book that I'm reading for my work Book Club. It's a very moving story but not one that I particularly enjoyed reading. I guess the subject matter of Syrian refugees being people smuggled across to the UK is not one that is meant to be very enjoyable. There are parts of the story that you think "why would(n't) you do that" and the main characters I didn't really warm to. Maybe that's the point that going through what these refugees have deadens your emotions or at least you are forced to cap them. At times it felt a bit formulaic as a novel and maybe the construct of each chapter being half present and half past whilst a good ploy does make it a little artificial. Also from the start you know that they have reached the UK. 

Work book club review: "A challenging read that shows the human side of refugee journeys rather than statistics or disturbing images. Well written the book gives context as to the reason why our couple decided to make the journey and shows that having made it this isn’t the end of their refugee story. Ultimately shows that there is hope although hanging by a thread dependent on UK immigration authorities with their interrogative interviews.”

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