No Land to Light On
by Yara Zgheib
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Pub Date 1 Sep 2022 | Archive Date 2 Sep 2022
Atlantic Books | Allen & Unwin UK
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Description
Exit West meets An American Marriage in this breathtaking and evocative novel about a young Syrian couple in the throes of new love, on the cusp of their bright future...when a travel ban rips them apart on the eve of their son's birth.
Boston, 2017: When Hadi returns to his heavily pregnant partner Sama after a trip to Jordan to bury his father, he is stopped at border control - a hostile new immigration law has just been enacted - while she awaits him on the other side.
Worlds apart, suspended between hope and disillusion as hours become days become weeks, Sama and Hadi yearn for a way back to each other, and to the life they'd dreamed up together. But does that life exist any more, or was it only an illusion?
Achingly intimate yet poignantly universal, No Land to Light On is the story of a family caught up in forces beyond their control, fighting for the freedom and home they found in one another.
Advance Praise
'Zgheib deftly addresses pertinent issues of identity, homeland, exile and loss. This is a tense, lyrical, intelligent novel' The Big Issue
'Through a heart-wrenching human story runs a narrative about avian migration, the urge to take flight felt even by a caged bird - but all birds of passage need land to light on' Saga Magazine
'In elegant prose, Zgheib skillfully mingles her protagonists' memories with a nail-biting account of their 2017 ordeal to craft a narrative rich in metaphors and complex, believable characters' Washington Post
'[in] glittering language that brings emotional resonance to the effects of monstrous policies [...] The separation comes in like thunder to break a happy story apart. Zgheib's poetic language serves her well in conveying that story. But much of its power lies also in the playful way Sama and Hadi experience new love, the sense of open possibility that immigration can still represent. This happiness is embedded within her story of suffering - and vice versa' L.A. Times
'Zgheib has created a tense, moving novel about the meaning of home, the risks of exile, the power of nations, and the power of love' Kirkus
'Zgheib writes so lyrically about rootlessness, separation and a fierce longing for home that it makes the tragedy of war that much easier to bear. Sama and Hadi will always hold a special place in my heart' Alka Joshi, author of The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
'A masterful story of tragedy and redemption, an entire history told through the prism of a single Syrian couple, beginning and ending with love' Hala Alyan, award-winning author of Salt Houses and The Arsonists' City
'An illuminating, intimate look at the Syrian refugee crisis and the immigrant experience in America during the Trump administration [...] Zgheib offers nuanced insights into the complex psychology of and challenges faced by displaced people, and effectively makes the consequences of anti-immigrant sentiments and policies feel personal to all readers. Written in soul-searing prose, No Land to Light On is an essential, compassionate story that reinstates a sense of humanity for the countless people affected by U.S. travel bans' BookPage
'If you can handle suspense and heartache then add this one to your list' Muse
Available Editions
| EDITION | Mass Market Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781838954888 |
| PRICE | £8.99 (GBP) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Ben D, Reviewer
Hadi and Sama are a married couple, refugees from Syria, and expectant parents to be who live in Boston. Hadi has to travel outside of the US for a funeral, but upon his return finds that Trump's travel ban has come into effect and he is denied entry into the US and sent on the first flight out. Sama, meanwhile, goes into early labour and is stuck on a hospital ward with her desperately ill child.
What could easily have become misery lit is elevated by Yara Zgheib's prose - at times urgent, at time melancholic, this is masterful writing. You really feel the frustration of Hadi, and the sorrow of Sama. These characters are expertly drawn.
This is an important novel, dealing with BIG themes, and yet it is intimate and personal. You will find yourself getting angry with the system alongside Hadi. You will wonder how a government could run such cruely, punatitve rules. You will come to care for the people at its heart. Highly recommend reading.
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.
Suzanne K, Reviewer
What an incredibly sad, but beautifully written story. It's from two perspectives of two Syrian refugees falling in love in America (Hadi and Sama).
Hadi flies back for the funeral of his dad and consequently cannot get back into the US, where his wife Sama is pregnant.
Inspired by the actual insane policies that the US has, it is a tale of belonging and exclusion. What it means to build and have a home, to feel secure.
If you are ready with a box of tissues I highly recommend this story.
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