Wow. This was an incredibly intense read but so powerful and so important. I actually ended up purchasing a copy of this for my own personal library. It feels like Aleppo comes alive. And makes me hope for the chance to visit Syria. The story follows Hanna and Zakariya. Two people who, after a night of fun in Aleppo, return to their town to find everyone dead and everything destroyed thanks to a great flood.

But the book delves deeper into the changes taking place in Syria at the turn of the century and the way the people are deeply tied to the place.

It’s beautifully written, profound but also heavy. I’d have to walk away from it sometimes. But at the same time, it felt full of hope for all of Syria’s potential. A love letter to a country.

This was a book that seemed extremely promising. The summary is fantastic. Unfortunately, the book was not. I wanted this exploration of the flood, of the loss, and that part was only. briefly mentioned. Instead, we get a long character study of this man and his conversion to his belief system, It was honestly kind of dull. The prose was nice in parts, but the book fell a bit flat as a whole.

Unfortunately I just could not get into this one. My review has no reflection on the content because I couldn't even get far enough to comment on that. The narrator has a beautiful voice but it is way too slow and far too sleepy and I realize just a few pages in that I was never going to make it through this 19 hour audio version with narration that lulls me to sleep

No One Prayed Over Their Graves is is one of the more challenging books I’ve read recently. It opens in December 1907 with close friends Hanna and Zakariya returning home to their village near Aleppo after a night away, only to discover there has been a massive flood. Virtually everyone they know is dead; everything is destroyed. It then goes on to tell the story of their lives, particularly Hanna’s, against the backdrop of Syrian history. The long lasting effects of the flooding on both men was obvious. It’s a long novel with a large cast of characters, many interwoven and multi-layered storylines, a variety of forms and styles, and a non-linear chronology. Like I said, challenging. But also rewarding. The writing was lovely in places, full of sensual detail, and the storytelling rich. I loved learning more about Syrian history, beyond the recent Bashar al-Assad years. One thing that really struck me was the vibrant, cosmopolitan nature of Aleppo in the early twentieth century. I also appreciated the focus on a close male friendship, and an inter-faith one at that. I feel female friendships are more commonly explored, at least in the books I typically read. One of the novel’s key themes is the importance of freedom and of living life on your own terms, something I can get behind. The story had more than its fair share of darkness and tragedy, yet somehow managed to end on an optimistic note. This sprawling and sometimes dense novel challenged me. It won’t be for every reader but I’m glad I persevered.

Khaled Khalifa's "No One Prayed Over Their Graves" is a sweeping, multigenerational saga that chronicles the lives of two friends, Hanna Gregoros and Zakariya Bayazidi, as they navigate the tumultuous history of Syria from the late Ottoman Empire to the present day. Set against the backdrop of Aleppo, a vibrant city grappling with modernization, political upheavals, and religious tensions, the novel delves into themes of friendship, love, loss, and the enduring power of storytelling.

Khalifa's prose is both lyrical and evocative, bringing to life the sights, sounds, and smells of Aleppo in all its richness and complexity. He weaves in elements of magical realism, adding a touch of enchantment to the narrative and highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

The novel's strength lies in its intricate character development. Hanna and Zakariya, despite their contrasting personalities, share an unbreakable bond that transcends religious and social divides. Their friendship serves as an anchor amidst the chaos and uncertainty that surround them.

Khalifa's exploration of Syrian history is both poignant and insightful. He captures the hopes and aspirations of the early 20th century, the disillusionment following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, and the struggles of a nation caught in the crossfire of political ideologies and conflicts.

"No One Prayed Over Their Graves" is a powerful and moving testament to the enduring spirit of Syria and its people. It is a novel that lingers long after the final page is turned, prompting reflection on the complexities of history, the power of friendship, and the resilience of the human spirit.

This audible isn’t the longest one I’ve listened to so far, but it was the hardest one for me to get through. I wish there was a distinction to when the next chapter was starting, instead of the sporadic numbers at the beginning of some of the chapters. The chapters were too long for my liking, which added to the difficulty for me to understand what was happening. I’m thankful for the opportunity of listening to this audible but I don’t think I am the targeted audience for this.

This is the story of two childhood friends, Hanna and Zakaria, who grew up together near Aleppo. In the early 1900s, a flood wipes out their village, killing almost everyone they know. The event changes the trajectory of the two young men's lives. The book tells their stories from childhood to old age, but also those of some of their friends and relatives. It also describes the dynamics within the families and between the different social groups that constituted the late 19th / early 20th century Syria.

It was interesting to know more about life in the region, even though the protagonists were far from being the typical muslim and christian young men of that time.
The storyline in itself is really really interesting, BUT ...

- The nonlinear structure of the story was confusing. I was honestly wondering if the chapters weren’t mixed up or something.
- The character overload was also confusing, there were so many of them ! Some even had the same names ! Combine that with the fractured structure ... A recipe for disaster.
- As a woman living in the 21st century, I was disgusted by how women in this book were systematically objectified and sexualized by male characters. I'll quote the author here, because he described it very well "Women for them were a collection of holes to be filled with their holy water". To be honest, I prefer that to some embellished version of the reality, but it still wasn’t enjoyable.
- I found it very hard to root for Hanna and Zakaria (scratch that : I simply did NOT root for them and actively hated them), they were priviledged, perverted and weak losers with delusions of grandeur, who didn't think about anyone but themsleves (and horses, for Zakaria) and their own pleasure or misery.
- Let's talk about misery. I like stories of forbidden / doomed love and tragic fates as much as the next person, but too much tragedy kills the tragedy ? William and Aisha's story was interesting, it was in fact the only part of this book that I enjoyed, but did the author have to make everyone miserable ? To me, the readers just become desensitized at some point and stop caring about the characters.

🎧 Audiobook recording : 3/5 I wish the narrator's tone was a bit more lively to make up for the general dullness of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for giving me access to this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I am still processing this book so bear with me.

It's a very long story and it took me a while to get used to pace and the deep story it wants to tell. I have so many thoughts and I don't even know where to go with this. I didn't like pacing so much but this is one of those historical book that tugs at my feelings.

This book touched a lot on the history of Syria at the start of the modern era. The fight between religions in the area and how it relates between friendships and families.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio-arc version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Likes
- This was truly the love letter Alpeppo deserves.
- I don't think there could have been a more perfect narrator for this than Neil Shah
- The diary style of some chapters was my favorite. Those flowed beautifully
- Most of the writing was truly beautiful, honest, and felt very 'stream of consciousness' in a way that makes complete sense for the characters
- Interfaith friendships are always special to me
- I loved the pacing of the story

Minor dislikes
- I'm not a fan of reading books with a lot of characters, which is totally a me issue as I have personal difficulties keeping up with that. Regardless, I found every character to be fascinating in their own way, and I don't think any of them should have been removed.
- A small thing I wish happened was the chapters being broken down a little bit more. It was difficult for me to keep up with what year it was when multiple years took place in the same chapter.
- I wish the editor/translator used another word besides "prodigious".
- Some of the grammatical choices and literal translations didn't make sense in English or just didn't flow as well as they could have

content/trigger warnings
(some of these were taken from Storygraph and Goodreads as I didn't keep track while reading the audiobook)
- child death
- death
- drowning
- famine
- genocide
- grief
- infidelity
- kidnapping
- plague
- suicidal ideation
- violence
- war