The Beekeeper of Aleppo: A Novel
This unforgettable novel puts human faces on the Syrian war with the immigrant story of a beekeeper, his wife, and the triumph of spirit when the world becomes unrecognizable.
“A beautifully crafted novel of international significance that has the capacity to have us open our eyes and see.”—Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz
WINNER OF THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE • FINALIST FOR THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE
Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra, his wife, is an artist. Mornings, Nuri rises early to hear the call to prayer before driving to his hives in the countryside. On weekends, Afra sells her colorful landscape paintings at the open-air market. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the hills of the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo—until the unthinkable happens. When all they love is destroyed by war, Nuri knows they have no choice except to leave their home. But escaping Syria will be no easy task: Afra has lost her sight, leaving Nuri to navigate her grief as well as a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece toward an uncertain future in Britain.
Nuri is sustained only by the knowledge that waiting for them is his cousin Mustafa, who has started an apiary in Yorkshire and is teaching fellow refugees beekeeping. As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss but dangers that would overwhelm even the bravest souls. Above all, they must make the difficult journey back to each other, a path once so familiar yet rendered foreign by the heartache of displacement.
Moving, intimate, and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a book for our times: a novel that at once reminds us that the most peaceful and ordinary lives can be utterly upended in unimaginable ways and brings a journey in faraway lands close to home, never to be forgotten.
Praise for The Beekeeper of Aleppo
“This book dips below the deafening headlines, and tells a true story with subtlety and power.”—Esther Freud, author of Mr. Mac and Me
“This compelling tale had me gripped with its compassion, its sensual style, and its onward and lively urge for resolution.”—Daljit Nagra, author of British Museum
“This novel speaks to so much that is happening in the world today. It’s intelligent, thoughtful, and relevant, but very importantly it is accessible. I’m recommending this book to everyone I care about.”—Benjamin Zephaniah, author of Refugee Boy
“A beautifully crafted novel of international significance that has the capacity to have us open our eyes and see.”—Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz
WINNER OF THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE • FINALIST FOR THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE
Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra, his wife, is an artist. Mornings, Nuri rises early to hear the call to prayer before driving to his hives in the countryside. On weekends, Afra sells her colorful landscape paintings at the open-air market. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the hills of the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo—until the unthinkable happens. When all they love is destroyed by war, Nuri knows they have no choice except to leave their home. But escaping Syria will be no easy task: Afra has lost her sight, leaving Nuri to navigate her grief as well as a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece toward an uncertain future in Britain.
Nuri is sustained only by the knowledge that waiting for them is his cousin Mustafa, who has started an apiary in Yorkshire and is teaching fellow refugees beekeeping. As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss but dangers that would overwhelm even the bravest souls. Above all, they must make the difficult journey back to each other, a path once so familiar yet rendered foreign by the heartache of displacement.
Moving, intimate, and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a book for our times: a novel that at once reminds us that the most peaceful and ordinary lives can be utterly upended in unimaginable ways and brings a journey in faraway lands close to home, never to be forgotten.
Praise for The Beekeeper of Aleppo
“This book dips below the deafening headlines, and tells a true story with subtlety and power.”—Esther Freud, author of Mr. Mac and Me
“This compelling tale had me gripped with its compassion, its sensual style, and its onward and lively urge for resolution.”—Daljit Nagra, author of British Museum
“This novel speaks to so much that is happening in the world today. It’s intelligent, thoughtful, and relevant, but very importantly it is accessible. I’m recommending this book to everyone I care about.”—Benjamin Zephaniah, author of Refugee Boy
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
thenextgoodbook.com
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
307 pages
What’s it about?
Nuri, Afra, and their son Sami live in Aleppo, Syria amidst the chaos of a civil war. Nuri is a beekeeper in the countryside and Afra sells her paintings in the market. As the war infringes more and more on their lives they know they must leave Syria in order to be safe. This novel imagines their journey out of Aleppo.
What did it make me think about?
This novel was unbearably sad. It made me think about the millions of refugees out there and the millions of stories they must have to tell.
Should I read it?
This is a beautifully written account of an immigrant family’s journey out of a war torn country. Hard to fathom that this is a reality for so many people today. Although the plot will keep you interested, the story will break your heart.
Quote-
“And for awhile on those evenings, with the apricots sweet and the smell of night jasmine, Firas on his computer and Aya sitting beside us with Sami in her arms while he chewed her hair, and Agra’s and Dahab’s laughter reaching us from the kitchen, on those nights, we were still happy. Life was close enough to normal for us to forget our doubts, or at least to keep them locked away somewhere in the deep recesses of our minds while we made plans for the future.”
If you liked this try-
And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Exit West by Moshin Hamid
Girl At War by Sara Novic
Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
307 pages
What’s it about?
Nuri, Afra, and their son Sami live in Aleppo, Syria amidst the chaos of a civil war. Nuri is a beekeeper in the countryside and Afra sells her paintings in the market. As the war infringes more and more on their lives they know they must leave Syria in order to be safe. This novel imagines their journey out of Aleppo.
What did it make me think about?
This novel was unbearably sad. It made me think about the millions of refugees out there and the millions of stories they must have to tell.
Should I read it?
This is a beautifully written account of an immigrant family’s journey out of a war torn country. Hard to fathom that this is a reality for so many people today. Although the plot will keep you interested, the story will break your heart.
Quote-
“And for awhile on those evenings, with the apricots sweet and the smell of night jasmine, Firas on his computer and Aya sitting beside us with Sami in her arms while he chewed her hair, and Agra’s and Dahab’s laughter reaching us from the kitchen, on those nights, we were still happy. Life was close enough to normal for us to forget our doubts, or at least to keep them locked away somewhere in the deep recesses of our minds while we made plans for the future.”
If you liked this try-
And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Exit West by Moshin Hamid
Girl At War by Sara Novic
Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji
Thought provoking, a little too much description in parts. Wonderful to put a human face to an overwhelming crisis.
The author after serving as a volunteer assisting refugees writes an historical novel of Afghanistan refugees who flee the Taliban as there village is invaded by foreigners. I initially found it difficult to read because the author bounces from the main character’s recent recollection of Afghanistan and his present day survival all the while caring for his invalid wife. In the end after very frightful experiences the main character is reunited with a distant relative in England. It’s a journey of survival.
Quite an emotional read through the life of war immigrants. The details and description take you along in their journey from Syria to England and through how their life changed forever.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.