The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar / 4 Stars

[Kimber]

The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar
Four Stars

This novel has a dual storyline, each story a parallel highlighting the life of a young girl, one in modern times and one approximately 800 years earlier.

Nour is a young girl born in the U.S. whose mother, a mapmaker, relocates the family back to her home country of Syria when Nour's father dies of cancer. Shortly after, Syria becomes unstable and violently unsafe. When Nour's home is bombed and she and her siblings nearly lose their lives, a choice has to be made whether to stay or to become refugees, traveling through multiple countries to find safety.

Rawiya is a young girl living in poverty who decides to help her mother by leaving home in search of her fortune. She takes on the identity of a boy and becomes an apprentice and helper to a cartographer who has been tasked with making a map of the world.

There are many parallels between the two stories, and there is a little magic woven into both as well. I took the story of Rawiya to be something of a legend or folk story familiar to Nour. I related more to Nour's story, and I felt like it did a really good job of showing what a modern refugee might go through in trying to stay safe and alive in a world that has become extremely violent and dangerous. The writing is simply beautiful.

SIDE NOTE: Although I didn't write my review in time to post it there, I read this book for PBT Horizons: Syria. While researching what to read, I found an article about a young girl who is a Syrian refugee and has won a prize for a beautiful and poignant poem she's written about her home country. For me, the poem illustrates once again how similar we all are; how we just want to be able to live our lives in the places and with the people we hold dear, in peace. I'm including a link to the article and poem here:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

[Joanne]

Lovely review Kimber-I was so glad I read it! Thank you for the link!

[Jemima]

Thanks for the link. Lovely review. I enjoyed this book so much

[Kimber]

Thanks Joanne and Jemima! I am very glad to have read this book as well.

The article about the young refugee and her poem has stayed with me - it gives a perspective on Syria and its people that I haven't seen in the news.