A tragic love story

"This book is as much a tragic love story as a cultural and historical document, immersing the reader into the time and culture of Mossul 2014 through the eyes of a young couple, Fouad and Layla. Knowing of the place and time, there is a lot of hardship and traumatic experiences to be expected, and the author delivers them in a sensitive style that does not overpower the reader but still points out the disturbing reality. It captures the reality of people fleeing from the area beautifully and gives an insight on what has or could have happened to refugees from Iraq and neighbouring countries. The book gives deep insights into Iraqi culture, not only by describing the way people interact with one another and how the love story unfolds, but also in the writing style and linguistic choices. Altogether a very interesting and enlightening read. "