Inside the 'Beekeeper of Aleppo'

The beekeeper of Aleppo was a recommendation from a fellow bookstagramer; the title had me caught and I thought it would give an insight of what life truly was in the eyes of a citizen of the city of Aleppo. And that, it truly was.

A tale of a couple who witness life before and after war. A tale of true heart ache and despair. A tale of oneness and tenderness. A tale that brought tears to my eyes on one too many occasions.

The journey of Nuri and Afra (the main characters) took me through a whirlwind of events that served as a reality check, as it gives a beautiful, yet painful, insight to the lives of the Syrians and the difficulties they face. It reminds me of the fact that sometimes, you may be in a space where there really isn’t light at the end of the tunnel. No sunrise to take away the miseries displayed in the darkness.

Through a journey of grief, turmoil and love, I was captured throughout the novel and could barely put it down to have a break. The books that are usually classified on my bookshelf portray the storyline through the eyes of a younger character; however, it was quite fascinating to live life through the eyes of an older character, and that too a life so devastating.

During the book, I had come across the word “Yuanfen” which is a Chinese word that is a bit difficult to translate. However, it may roughly be seen as the word ‘fate’, a mysterious force that causes two lives to cross paths in a meaningful way. Some may believe in fate, and some may not, but I have to agree that people enter your lives for a reason, and in the case of this book, even throughout all the hardship and pain, where life seemed to just be getting worse, different characters entered the lives of Nuri and Afra and allowed them to reach where they did in the end. I just thought it was an interesting word, and something to think about.

I definitely recommend a read of this novel, since it has come to be one of my favourites. It really is wonderful for a good cry as well as a reality check.

Three words to describe the book:

Grasping. Eye-opener. Passionate.