Set against the smoky, surreal backdrop of New Year's Eve in Berlin, Syringa is a literary thriller drenched in melancholy and mystery. At its heart lies a decades-long love affair, unraveled by an ex-journalist who is waiting for his own assassination. Through his fragmented recollections, we learn about a woman who vanished, a soldier named Hissel who was sent to kill those tied to her disappearance, and the tangled web of memory, guilt, and longing that connects them all.

This novel feels like reading a poem whispered in a dream. Ian Orti’s writing style is rich, lyrical, and evocative—there were passages I found myself rereading just for the language alone. The atmosphere is beautifully melancholic, and the emotional undercurrent of loss, love, and regret is ever-present.

However, while the prose often enchanted me, I found myself wanting more from the story itself. The plot, though intriguing in concept, felt too elusive in execution. The narrative left large gaps—presumably to be filled in by the reader’s imagination—but for me, they were a bit too wide. I longed for more specificity, more grounding in the events that were being hinted at rather than fully explored.

Still, Syringa stirred something poetic in me, and that’s not nothing. It’s a book that’s more about feeling than following—a good fit for readers who enjoy introspective, experimental fiction with a noir-like atmosphere and a deep emotional pulse.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.