As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

這是一封獻給敘利亞與其人民的情書。《As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow》是一部融合現實與奇幻元素、以敘利亞革命為背景的小說，燃燒著希望、愛與無限可能的火焰，適合《偷書賊》（The Book Thief）與《Salt to the Sea》讀者細細品味。

薩拉瑪・卡薩布（Salama Kassab）原本是一名藥學系學生。當自由的呼聲在敘利亞響起時，她還擁有父母、疼愛她的哥哥，以及一個溫暖的家——過著再平凡不過的青少年生活。

如今，她在霍姆斯的醫院擔任志工，日復一日照顧湧入的傷患。她暗中卻迫切想在懷孕的嫂嫂萊拉生產前，離開這片她深愛的土地。在極度恐懼與焦慮之下，她甚至「創造」出一個名為 哈夫（阿拉伯語中意為「恐懼」）的想像夥伴，形影不離地提醒她：離開，才有活下去的可能。

然而，在對祖國的忠誠與對生存的渴望之間，薩拉瑪始終無法做出抉擇。她必須在子彈與炸彈、軍事攻擊與道德信念不斷動搖的現實中掙扎前行。當她意外遇見那位命中注定本該在某一天相遇的男孩，她對離開家園的決心，也開始動搖。

最終，薩拉瑪必須學會看清眼前的一切——這不僅是一場戰爭，而是一場革命；並決定自己是否也要為敘利亞的自由，發出吶喊。

A love letter to Syria and its people, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a speculative novel set amid the Syrian Revolution, burning with the fires of hope, love, and possibility. Perfect for fans of The Book Thief and Salt to the Sea.

Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager’s life. 
 
Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe. 
 
But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all.  
 
Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.