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This unforgettable novel puts human faces on the Syrian war with the immigrant story of a beekeeper, his wife, and the triumph of spirit when the world becomes unrecognizable.

“A beautifully crafted novel of international significance that has the capacity to have us open our eyes and see.”—Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz

WINNER OF THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE • FINALIST FOR THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE

Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra, his wife, is an artist. Mornings, Nuri rises early to hear the call to prayer before driving to his hives in the countryside. On weekends, Afra sells her colorful landscape paintings at the open-air market. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the hills of the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo—until the unthinkable happens. When all they love is destroyed by war, Nuri knows they have no choice except to leave their home. But escaping Syria will be no easy task: Afra has lost her sight, leaving Nuri to navigate her grief as well as a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece toward an uncertain future in Britain.

Nuri is sustained only by the knowledge that waiting for them is his cousin Mustafa, who has started an apiary in Yorkshire and is teaching fellow refugees beekeeping. As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss but dangers that would overwhelm even the bravest souls. Above all, they must make the difficult journey back to each other, a path once so familiar yet rendered foreign by the heartache of displacement.

Moving, intimate, and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a book for our times: a novel that at once reminds us that the most peaceful and ordinary lives can be utterly upended in unimaginable ways and brings a journey in faraway lands close to home, never to be forgotten.

Praise for The Beekeeper of Aleppo

“This book dips below the deafening headlines, and tells a true story with subtlety and power.”—Esther Freud, author of Mr. Mac and Me

“This compelling tale had me gripped with its compassion, its sensual style, and its onward and lively urge for resolution.”—Daljit Nagra, author of British Museum

“This novel speaks to so much that is happening in the world today. It’s intelligent, thoughtful, and relevant, but very importantly it is accessible. I’m recommending this book to everyone I care about.”—Benjamin Zephaniah, author of Refugee Boy

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (June 23, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593128176
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593128176
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.18 x 0.86 x 7.96 inches
Reviewer: Dean A. Boldon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: the healing power of bees
Review: Beautifully written phrases to describe the bees and natural environments. Difficult passages to read about the heartbreak of refugees and the difficulties they face.

Reviewer: eo
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: compelling story
Review: A beautiful and disturbing story. One may change their mind about immigration after reading this book, and getting an education on the day-to-day horrific lives of those living in their home country, with a sudden shift of leadership to a monstrous dictator. Yes, fictional, but i felt these characters could be any of us. This story is true life for thousands around our planet right now, and it is only humane to take them in and give them safe shelter. It gripped me wanting to hear of their safety and survival. And I asked myself through this book, How would I survive in this same situation? A couple things that would have made it better for me: (1) in some chapters the paragraph ends mid-sentence, and the final word of that sentence is the first word and the title of the next chapter. Creative, but it can threw me first time. Read the 1 star reviews. (2) the story bounces chapter to chapter from the horrible challenges of their life in Aleppo and the plight of their escape, to the challenges they're facing waiting in an asylum house in the UK. It got confusing figuring out where they were at when I started each chapter. Perhaps the author could have titled each chapter by what country they were now in.

Reviewer: Heidi L Pickett
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Clinging to what was
Review: A story that offers an incredible perspective from a refugees heart and mind. The characters connection with nature offers moments of respite and brief beauty as they make their way through some of the toughest paths.

Reviewer: Sherry Sharpnack
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Heartbreaking Story of Syrian Immigrants
Review: TRIGGER WARNINGS: Child death, sexual assault (both "off-screen"), PTSD.***Nuri Ibrahim was a beekeeper w/ his cousin, Mustafa. They had a thriving business selling their honey and other products. Nuri's wife, Afra, was an artist who sold her unusual paintings in the local market. They share a young son, Sami. They have a simple but rich life -- until civil war erupts in Syria, eventually making its way to their city of Aleppo. Mustafa flees toward his wife and daughter in England, after his son is found in a local morgue after being killed by combatants. Mustafa emails Nuri, begging him to get out. But Afra refuses to leave, wanting to stay in her home after being blinded and losing Sami in a bombing attack. The hives are gone; Afra's ability to paint is gone; even most of their house is gone. Nuri finally convinces Afra that they must leave, when his life is threatened by a gang of combatants.This is just the beginning of their harrowing story as refugees! The story is told in a back-and-forth chronological style, beginning w/ Nuri and Afra in a holding pattern in a refugee home in southern England, awaiting asylum. (So, we know they at least made it to England....) But HOW they made it to the purgatory of all refugees in a strange land is the story. Lefteri propels the story w/ the most unusual segue from one section of a chapter: she uses a common word to end one section and begin the next. This is a really effective plot device, and I loved it, along w/ Lefteri's sympathetic portrayal of an unusual manifestation of PTSD (IMHO) and the horrors of the refugee camps.Will Nuri and Afra ever be reunited w/ Mustafa and his family? At what price?I honestly feel that EVERYONE should read "The Beekeeper of Aleppo," especially if one feels that undocumented immigrants don't deserve our basic humanity. A high 4 stars rounds up to 5 stars.

Reviewer: Melynda Wangsness
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: "Sometimes we create such powerful illusions, so that we do not get lost in the darkness."
Review: An important and interesting story told in a unique style.Following Nuri and Afra on their journey from war-torn Syria to England provided a unique view into the lives and struggles of refugees seeking asylum. While this topic is an important one, I feel as though this book fell short.The first item glaringly missing is the connection to Nuri being a beekeeper with.... anything. As the title of the book and what was pushed to be an important part of Nuri's life in the beginning, I had a hard time connecting the importance, or even symbolism, of this after reading.Nuri and Afra faced a treacherous journey that would be filled with many faces, places, and struggles. Even so, it felt as though these were glossed over and even downplayed at times. I struggled to feel the emotions being told (instead of shown) due to this.In addition, the couple faces many mental and physical illnesses due to the war. These were resolved almost instantly at the end of the book with little development. This seemed jarring and dismissive of the long-term struggles citizens of war-ravaged lands face. Similarly, I was hoping for more character development as this couple faced excruciating events together.All-in-all, I felt as though this book provided me insight into the journey that refugees face while seeking asylum. While I craved more from the book, I felt deeply for Nuri and Afra which kept me hooked until the end. In addition, I enjoyed Lefteri's writing style, including the unique transitions mid-chapter using one word to end the sentence of the last half and start the sentence of the next.“I think the bees are like us,” she said. “They are vulnerable like us."

Reviewer: Dixichic
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: War is So sad for regular people
Review: I never thought about the regular people in Iran and all the violence, loss, hardship and terrible danger they've experienced. So many lost children and other family members who lost their homes and everything they owned. So sad!!! I'm so saddened by Biden sending more troops !!! More young men and women to come home with broken bodies and minds :(. Great book which will make you way more grateful for the modern conviences in our lives !!!

Reviewer: IanSm
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: An eye-opening glimpse into the real-life experiences of refugees. Written with great compassion. In my opinion, this is a must-read for those who do not know much about the plight of refugees in our world.

Reviewer: Claudia
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Bem escrito

Reviewer: JG
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Polecam

Reviewer: shibi
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Stream of consciousness technique is used in this novel brilliantly . Very engaging and unfolds facade of truth in the life of refugees. As it was taken from the lives of real people and places every nuances of the story matters more to me. Through the eyes of Nuri and Agra I was able to understand the predicament they face throughout their journey. As they were fortunate enough to live and reach the safe destination my hearts goes to the twins , angelici and other few people who lost their loved ones , souls/body ripped and children who lost/snatched from their parents even after several struggles couldn’t escape from the brutality of war physically and mentally. They wanders and lost their lives in d deep blue ocean and in d darkness of woods in the journey to save themselves and their families. It’s so disheartening to see still there are wars which not only robs the lives of innocents but also robs their dreams of living a safe normal life somewhere in the corner of this earth. This writer has d power to transfer the emotions and pain of each character through her writings. The language is simple and lucid but powerful enough to make anyone cry. Loved/lived this book.

Reviewer: Frank Calberg
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Key takeaways from reading the book:- Page 20: In Syria, there is a saying which goes like this: Inside the person you know, there is a person you do not know.- Page 75: People told stories of people, who never made it to Greece - of whole families, men, women and children, lost at sea.- Pages 207 and 261: Afra explained to a doctor that she became blind through a bomb. Telling the story about becoming blind, she explained that her son Sami wanted to play outside, because being inside all the time was like a prison for him. As there had not been bombs for two days, she let her son play outside. Suddenly, she heard a whistle from the sky and went out to her son. When she got to the door, there was a loud explosion and bright light. Since then, she has not been able to see. The last thing she saw was the eyes of her son Sami, who was looking up at the sky. Her son died from the explosion. The doctor explained to Afra that it is possible that the blindness, which Afra is experiencing, is the result of trauma. Following up on this, the doctor explained that sometimes our bodies can find ways to cope, when we are faced with things that are too much to bear. On page 261, Afra explained that since she told the doctor about the bomb, it is all she can think of. She can see the face of her son Sami. She can see Sami's eyes looking up at the sky. She wonders what her son felt: Was he in pain? What did he feel when he looked up at the sky? Did he know that she, his mother, was there?- Page 214: Two brothers, Ryad and Ali, told their story. They explained that they had fled Afghanistan and people, who killed their father. They explained that after their father's death, the twins were targeted by The Taliban. They mentioned that their mother had asked them to leave, because she was afraid she would lose them as well. They also explained that their mother had kissed their faces a hundred times because she was afraid she would never see them again. Their journey went through Turkey and Lesbos. They explained that they had slept on the streets.