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Book Review of No Land to Light On

No Land to Light On
No Land to Light On
Author: Yara Zgheib
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Hardcover
BettySunshine avatar reviewed on + 43 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


I was immediately drawn into this story. A powerful story that is sure to linger in your mind. A story of love, family, and determining what âhomeâ means and where it is.

On January 27, 2017, Executive Order 13769 was issued, suspending Syrian refugees' admission into the US indefinitely. You probably heard about and went on with your life as usual, as it did not impact you. But how about those it did impact? What did it mean to them?

This is the heartbreaking story of a young Syrian couple living in the US and how they were ripped apart by this travel ban. And it happened on the eve of their first child's premature birth. Hadi was a sponsored refugee in the US on a visa and had left the US only for a few days to assist his mother with his father's funeral. But when he arrived at Logan International Airport, he was denied entry and deported. As Hadi struggles to return to his family in the US, you are forced to wonder if they will ever be reunited? Both Hadi and his wife Sama struggle with the uncertainly of life now, neither understanding exactly how this happened to them. It is unsafe to return to war-torn Syria. As Syrian refugees, they have âno land to light on.â And Sama is well aware of the future their son could have as an American citizen, having been born in the US. This weighs heavily on her mind as she tries to sort out her next step.

Told in the alternating points of view of Hadi and Sama, the story tugged at my heart and made me angry at the injustice they, and others like them, endure. They are trapped in a situation beyond their control. The writing is beautiful and, at times, poetic, expressing their longing to be reunited.