A review by samdalefox
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

challenging sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This is an excellent book for people of Western priviledge to read (meaning: a person from a white colonialist country such as the UK, who has not felt the devestation of war within their homeland for many generations). The book was written drawing on the experiences of real-life Syrian refugees that the author was working with abroad. I think the way this book is written serves to be widely-palletable of the target audience described above. The book describes many of the horrors, humiliations, and tragedies Syrian refugees have faced (and continue to face) on their escape from their country, yet it does so in a santised way. This is both a pro, in that the important messages the author is trying to convey reaches a wider audience. But it's also a con; my major disappointment with the story is that it often felt superficial or sanitised. I could tell it wasn't written by someone with first hand experience since it lacked a rawness you hear in people who have survived life-altering trauma.

Why it is a good book for priviledged white European's to read:
  • It paint refugees as humans. There is a strong human element throughout the book, describing people in detail and their connections to their family and homeland (exemplified in Mustafa and the apiary).
  • Gives an accurate description of the limited choices people are faced with when fleeing war - known violence and death at home, or unknown violence and potential death as you flee.
  • It gives an indication of the types of violences and indignities that refugees face (dangerious travel, traffikers, homelessness etc.)
  • It gives an excellent indication of trauma related mental illnesses
    through Nuri's depression, insomnia, and PTSD, and Afra's psychosomatic blindness. I was particularly impressed with how the book dealt with Afra's condition.
  • It combats a lot of the diabolical mainstream media bollocks we have in England about refugees. The book highlights just how shit a country we are at supporting and welcoming refugees, this is particularly clear through describing the inhumane asylum seekers' process. 

Overall, a story with poignant messages, but a bit too neat and tidy for me personally. I prefer to read non-fiction accounts first hand from refugees. Below is my favourite quote from the book. It emphasises how inherently nature works together for the greater good, and yet us as humans work against that feeling and each other, creating senseless misery and suffering through war.

 "People are not like bees. We do not work together, we have no real sense of a greater good". 
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