A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi

Through this character the author voices some sheltered and, perhaps, naïve impressions that are in many ways indicative of the western view of how to address this issue. Layers of repeating history, the range of the diaspora and the places people are desperate to escape, as well as the news headlines woven into the narrative add an inescapable element of realism that brings the reality of living in a state of global crisis and disenfranchisement home to the reader.Ībawi also incorporates the voice of Alexia, an American student volunteering to help refugees on the island of Lesvos, Greece. This book does not allow the reader to hold any pretentions of glory regarding western actions in the Middle East over the past couple decades. While his direct journey offers one particular insight, the people Tareq meets along the way also point to how extensive and multifaceted the refugee crisis has become. And though we might not want to look, to feel the dust of crumpled buildings, the gnaw of hunger, the outrage of being treated as less than human, because we experience the world through Tareq's very tactile and emotionally grounded perception, we cannot look away.

Though many books try to create space where readers will empathize with loss, this one brings every sense into play to bring it to life. The narrative follows Tareq's journey from Syria after his home is bombed and he loses the majority of his family, and as he looks for a place of refuge in Europe, anywhere that might be able to maybe one day feel like home. Abawi's narrative traces the harrowing experiences of refugees fleeing Syria, putting a voice to the images of tragedy that flooded western media for a time before other news took their place. Atia Abawi, A Land of Permanent GoodbyesĪs quality young adult fiction continues to be published, it is not often that a book distinguishes itself as required reading, but Atia Abawi's A Land of Permanent Goodbyes should be classed as such, not just for young adults but readers of all ages.

And the journey beyond those invisible lines can become just as heinous as living inside the fire. When you're a refugee, everyone has lost, at least for the time being. A timely story of refugees escaping from war-torn Syria told by a foreign news correspondent who experienced the crisis firsthand.

A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi