No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib

 

No Land To Light On
Yara Zgheib
Atria Books
January 4, 2022
Fiction

Summary by Publisher:

Hadi and Sama are a young Syrian couple flying high on a whirlwind love, dreaming up a life in the country that brought them together. She had come to Boston years before chasing dreams of a bigger life; he’d landed there as a sponsored refugee from a bloody civil war. Now, they are giddily awaiting the birth of their son, a boy whose native language would be freedom and belonging.

When Sama is five months pregnant, Hadi’s father dies suddenly in Jordan, the night before his visa appointment at the embassy. Hadi flies back for the funeral, promising his wife that he’ll only be gone for a few days. On the day his flight is due to arrive in Boston, Sama is waiting for him at the airport, eager to bring him back home. But as the minutes and then hours pass, she continues to wait, unaware that Hadi has been stopped at the border and detained for questioning, trapped in a timeless, nightmarish limbo.

My Review:

No Land To Light On is tragic. I wholly wish that the author would write another book about Hadi and Sama just so that I can find validation on the fact that Sama and Hadi reconnect either in the States or in Paris as the ending implies might happen, although that is just selfish thinking since the story doesn't really need any more added to it as it is poignant just the way it is written. 

Hadi and Sama, and little Naseem belong together, they belong creating a family that was already filled with so much love and respect. This book heartbreakingly persuades one to open their hearts and thought-process so that true understanding, true empathy, and deep analysis of how our laws are carried out and what more could be done to be more compassionate even when the laws really need to be enforced all the while possibly doing so with heart, not just hatred or fear, or "it's my job". 

For readers who have never been affected by homelessness, being an immigrant, refugee, or banned from traveling somewhere other than their own town, this book opens one's eyes and creates a bridge for one's thoughts to mull over to gain empathy and perhaps a plan on how to help when you do hear about refugees coming to your state or town. Freedom isn't free if you are always afraid of when the bottom will drop out like it did for Hadi.

No Land To Light On is pure heart-touching lyrical writing filled with wisdom, compassion, and grace even during the worst of times. It will stay with me for months.