Where the Wind Calls Home

This book was far from what I'd normally choose but after sitting glued to the pages since 8 am and having just finished the book I can say that this is probably one of the most touching and poignant books I have ever read. Written with such beauty and compassion I am now going to seek out her other books.

Great new novel from this Syrian author. Whilst this wasn't necessarily my cup of tea it will be of interest to my subscribers and so I will be sure to include it in my recommendation videos going forward. Especially for WIT month that is coming up soon.

Where the Wind Calls Home by Samar Yazbek is a non-linear narrative which embraces reliving memory. The Syrian protagonist, Ali, caught in the balance between life and death, returns to the past in an attempt to make sense of the immediate present. This return charts Ali's coming-of-age as well as his home country's descent into war. At the centre is a focus on the human cost of this war as young men are sacrificed and families are torn apart by grief.

In the beginning, Yazbek's exposition felt too dense, with repetitive description emphasising Ali's confusion as he appears to wake up in the past and present simultaneously. This lack of clarity is no doubt meant to reflect our protagonist's predicament, but it requires the reader to place trust in Yazbek's craft and at times it felt unnecessarily complicated.

But, Yazbek's storytelling is rich and the clarity we crave is eventually delivered. Ali's memories are an attempt to piece together the events which lead to the moment he and fellow soldiers were hit by a friendly-fire bomb. Yazbek's non-linear choice explores how, while Ali's conscription was swift, life as he and his family knew it had been derailing long before this.

Towards the end, Yazbek's writing is exceptionally lyrical, especially when depicting the bond between Ali and his mother, Nahla. Thus, those who enjoyed Ocean Vuong's 'Time is a Mother' will no doubt enjoy Yazbek's style here.

Those in search of a story from a non-Western perspective will also enjoy this, with Yazbek's focus on the human cost and the innocence and children lost in war being reminiscent of Khaled Hosseini's work.

And, of course, the richness of this story in English is thanks to Leri Price, whose translation captures Yazbek's intentions and homage to the Syrian people.

This beautifully-written book, translated from the Arabic, tells the story of a young man named Ari, a soldier who has been gravely injured in action. As he lies on the ground and tries to come to terms with what happened and the extent of his injuries, he thinks about the things in his life that have led up to this moment.
The magic of this story lies in the author's poetic descriptions of both a country (Syria) and its people during conflict, as well as the gentle and sometimes gritty development of Ari's character. I highly recommend this intriguing story.

A Young Syrian soldiers lies terribly injured under an ancient trees and reminisces about his life and what led to him being in this predicament.
This is a short, a perfectly crafted novel of poetic intensity, which somehow manages to get to the heart of the atrocities of war Whilst the story is specific for the modern day war in Syria, the novel has something to say about the effects of war, wherever, and whenever it happens. Soldiers are often conscripted and always had a life before they were forced to fight. In this novel, the author shows the effect of war on not just the individual fighting man, but also on their families.

The book is translated from the Arabic and has been so beautifully translated that it seems to me that it might just as well have been written in English. The language is beautiful sparse and poetic.
The author describes a cast of characters as varied, unique and individual people, there are some very memorable characters, including the village eccentric, who takes a young boy under her wing hands, allows him to come to terms with his uniqueness
I love the place the trees have in the novel they are seen as being a permanent presence throughout the life of the young man and symbolically the site of his mortal injury. The trees have somehow somehow a protective presence, and it’s longevity shows the cycle nature of war and peace.
Novel is published, in the UK on the 6th of February 2024, by worldEditions
This review will appear on NetGalley, UK good reads and my books log, bionicSarah‘sbooks.wordpress.com

In Samar Yazbek’s new novel, Where The Wind Calls Home, Ali, a nineteen-year-old soldier in the Syrian army, is wounded, and reflects on his life and what led him to this point. The novel shows us Ali’s memories through vignettes, and follows him through the day in which his is the sole survivor of a bomb that killed his fellow soldiers.

We find out about Ali’s life, growing up in a traditional Syrian Alawite village, and the hardships of life there amongst the Syrian Civil War. Yazbek also makes the beauty of Syria and the people living there known, it’s rich cultural and religious heritage made clear by the poetic language used.

Although brief, this novel is truly beautiful – it is hard to read, but Yazbek’s every word is chosen deliberately, making this a powerful piece of fiction. The descriptions of the landscape are especially memorable, offsetting the graphic nature of the depictions of the every day realities of war.

This is a powerful, important novel that shows us what life is like for soldiers in the Syrian army in unflinching detail. It is certainly impressive and memorable, and something I would definitely recommend to those interested in literary fiction from across the world.

I really enjoyed this book. It was hard to read. Very hard at times, but it was written so beautifully. It felt almost like a fever dream. I could imagine myself there. This is definitely an author that I will be watching closely and look forward to future works.

Samar Yazbek is much acclaimed, both within her country and outside it, and has written in an impressively wide number of genres, from journalism to television drama. Written in richly poetic language, Where the Wind Calls Home is a brief but powerful piece of fiction that follows Ali through the day in which his comrades have been killed by a bomb leaving him the sole survivor, his every movement mirrored by the Other he thinks may be his soul.
From Ali’s hallucinatory reverie emerges the story of his life, the middle son of a mother, determined that her children escape poverty, whose dreams have been blown apart by Syria’s devastating civil war. Ali had been the difficult child, often angry and ridiculed by the villagers as much for his association with Humayrouna, the henna-haired centenarian who taught him about nature, as for his own eccentricities. As he struggles towards the oak tree so like the one he loves at home, determined to climb it before darkness falls, the severity of his injuries slowly becomes clear.
Yazbek’s descriptions of the landscape are beautiful, her depictions of what has happened to Ali and his comrades necessarily graphic. The visceral horrors of war are laid bare, the confusion and fear of people who do not understand its causes only the destruction of their own already impoverished lives, vividly evoked. Not an easy book to write about nor one to enjoy, for obvious reasons, but certainly impressive and memorable.

This book broke my heart - horrific, intense and gorgeously weaved this story is dark but intensely necessary.

With so few pages this book says so much.

An interesting premise of a soldier in Syria who reflects on his life as he lays wounded. This book is written with a poetic prose that digs deep into human existence and its connections with nature. It is well written, and a book that would allow for indepth discussion for bookclubs and the like. The story follows Ali and drifts in and out of various states of his mind. It is written in the third person and I could not help but feel as it was so closely linked to Ali's mind and his thoughts that it would have benefited from a first person perspective.

What this book is not, is informative of the troubles and history that have revolved around Syria. This was a disapointment to me as I was hoping to learn more about this area. That is not say it is a bad book, but I feel this will be one of those marmite pieces of literature.

A beautiful Syrian story.
But the pace is quite slow. The writing tone doesn't work for me.

Thanks NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

Absolutely stunning book. I certainly appreciate all the praise of Samar Yazbek's work.

The story is a simple one on the face of it. Ali is a young soldier, blown up by friendly fire. He finds himself lying in a crater next to a tree. The book centres around him trying to climb the tree to safety.Ali's attempts to work out how badly he is hurt and how to reach the trees branches are interlaced with thoughts of his life.

The distinction between the two realities is so subtle you barely notice the switch happening. The stories are almost dreamlike in quality and as Ali tries to process his reality it becomes difficult to separate what is real and what isn't.

The writing is quite spare but emotionally charged. You're left in no doubt as to what life is like for the average family in Syria and how appalling the circumstances are for people living there. And this war is just the latest in a long list of wars that Syria has been involved in during the 20th and 21st centuries. Samar Yazek conveys all this in what is a short, sparse novel.

It is beautifully written, very moving and I'd love to read more of her work. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone.

Many thanks to Netgalley and World Editions for the advance review copy.

I couldn't finish this one. It's a very short book, but I just couldn't get wrapped up in it. The overly descriptive stream of consciousness style of writing is just not for me. I made it about a third of the way and all that had happened so far was a funeral and some vague references to a civil war. I still wasn't sure if Ali is actually dead or alive yet, and I just didn't want to be in his head any longer. The writing may be well done, but it just isn't a style of writing that I enjoy.

A very different genre of book for me. It took me a long time to ‘get into’ this storyline. A beautifully written book, somewhat sad as it tells the story of Ali a young person with learning difficulties who just wants to do his own thing, nurture his own garde.n. The story of small villages whose sons are taken to fight a war that nobody understands. Ali is also sent to war. We are told how after being wounded his hallucinations take him to family time before the war, not always a happy time either. We are told a live his hallucinations right up to the story’s end.

Ali, a young soldier from a small village in Syria, lies underneath a tree, gravely injured due to some sort of explosion. As he lies there, he relives his life as he starts with recounting his brother's funeral, his mother's breakdowns during the course of his formative years.

Set during the time that is on the brink of civil war, Ali runs contradictions in his mind with his current state - a sort of fugue between life and death, and the life he lead before the war. Through his eyes, Samar Yazbek gives a poetic narration of Syrian countryside, the simplicity of life and the way war is brought to them.

As expected from this author, the narration is rich, haunting and engaging.

<i>Thanks to World Editions and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Well, it seems like an unpopular opinion but this book didn't work for me. Even though I was looking forward to reading it, mainly for two reasons ―1. It's a translation. 2. It tells the story of Syria. I like reading multicultural stories.

It starts well. The first chapter was good, very well written, even though it was a slow monologue. But then it went on and on. The same thing, a slow, repetitive monologue. New chapters offer nothing new, maybe it does later, but I lost my patience. You may like it if you're a patient reader and like slow, descriptive reads.

I really wanted to like it but could not connect with the writing style. Sorry. But thank you for the copy. Not posting my views anywhere else.

As Ali, a 19 year old Syrian soldier lies on the ground, he sees a body being lowered into the ground; is it his grave?

This novel weaves through vignettes of Ali's life.

The writing style wasn't my cup of tea, but I know it'll work for many others.

The writing is absolutely beautiful in Where the Wind Calls Home. This is an emotional, powerful story, with wonderful prose. I definitely recommend this novel to anyone looking for a memorable story that will stay with you a long time, and I will be keeping an eye on this author to see what else they write.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the review copy.
The writing is exceptionally melodic and very pleasant that you wish the book would never end.
Just reminded me of Khaled Hosseini's writing.
💥💥💥💥💥 5/5

3.5 Stars of out 5.

This is a stunningly written novel which focuses on a soldier Ali in the aftermath of a bomb explosion as he reflects on his life up until this point. It portrays the damage and the destruction of families and communities brought about civil war and political unrest. Yazbek's writing is vivid, and devastating at times. It was not necessarily a book that I loved and had to come back to it on numerous occasions but I think it is an extremely powerful story that many readers will enjoy

An emotionally gripping tale that transcends life and death. Ali, our protagonist, is a young, nineteen year old soldier amidst war in Syria who navigates back and forth between the past and present and the cost of war to his village and family. It is short yet poignant, descriptive and haunting. Who is dead? Is it himself? The poetic journey is well worth it.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this arc.

This is my first contact with the author and I need to thank NetGalley for the access to this book. I like the way the narrative is made in this book. Is no lineal so it made the reading a bit more interesting for me since we following memories from the character. We follow a Syrian character in the start of this book I find some bit a bit repetitive and is base in the memories of the protagonist so it sense to get confusing but it worth stick on it because I think the characters are well constructed I loved how empathetic most of them are describe and we need to remember this book isn’t just about happy memories it show what most of us don’t want to hear or see. One of the things I love most in this book is how lyrical the book can turn and for me is rare to find narratives in crafted so beautiful now days. The book isn’t easy to read we need to remember this books show you the reality, the real costo of war, the millions of life hurt and innocence’s of kids destroyed. The book was translated from the Arabic and I like to think it was a great job since for me it didn’t lost the spirit of the author. The use of trees in this book is such a beautiful metaphor that it touch me when I read the book. This novel is out the 6th of the February 2024 so it worth to preorder if you think you want give the book a chance.

Gather around people, this is my first Syrian Lit and definitely won't be the last.

It started off as Ali, in between of living and dying, found himself, his soul, at least, scattered around a funeral. He could hear and see vividly the soil piled up, the talqin, nd her loved ones sobbing around the grave. He couldn't be the one that's dead, could he? Or is hir brother?

We were then taken to jog Ali's memory; life pre-civil war. His childhood, his school-less days, his birth story, which surrounded by mystics element (he's not crying ffs). How he ended up being indebted to Humayrouna, his brother's passing, and his mother's breakdowns. Ali described his movement as flying (take it as you will), and soon, we're becoming the spectator of civil war, which started as violently surpressed protests.

The storytelling and character description are told seamlessly, with deeply empathatic characters. The emotional gripped, charged and punched you in the gut. I've reached the point of sobbing when the mother screams cathartically while being told to keep demure because she's a woman. Like bro, she lose a child. Yazbek's approach on Syrian conflict is powerful, being told from a kid unfit for school. Her ability of telling everything in laymen terms (think Flower of Algernon pre-smart surgery) is mind-blowing.

Where the Wind Calls Home by Samar Yazbek unfolds through a non-linear narrative that intricately weaves together the threads of memory. The protagonist, Ali, grappling with the precarious balance between life and death, revisits the past to unravel the complexities of the tumultuous present. The narrative serves as both Ali's personal coming-of-age story and a reflection on Syria's tragic descent into war. At its core, the novel delves into the profound human toll exacted by the conflict, portraying the sacrifice of young lives and the heartbreaking fracturing of families torn apart by grief.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This was a beautiful and subtle book that explores the complex interactions between consciousness, identity, memory, and sense perception and that liminal space between reality and the imagination. This is a short book that rewards sensitive and attentive readers who are comfortable with ambiguity. I look forward to reading more from Samar Yazbek!

Ali, the protagonist of Where the Wind Calls Home, sees the world differently from others having formed from early in his life an intense relationship with nature, particularly trees. ‘Trees were simple, unlike people.’

As a boy, one particular oak tree became his sanctuary, a place from which he observed the clouds, and the mountains that surrounded his village. As he lingers between life and death, injured – probably fatally – by a bomb dropped in error on its own soldiers, his sole objective becomes to reach a nearby tree in search of that familiar sanctuary. He sees the tree’s presence as a sign that it will take care of him, that it is no coincidence he finds himself close to it.

Hallucinating because of his injuries, he relives moments from his life: the death of his brother, an arduous trek to a shrine with his mother Nahla, a visit to the palace of a local chief whose lavish lifestyle demonstrates how power and wealth has been concentrated in the hands of a few. These episodes give an insight into life in a rural village whose peaceful, albeit harsh, existence has been transformed by war: its menfolk killed leaving grieving families without fathers, sons, brothers.

Although any loss of life in war is devastating, it seems particularly tragic that a gentle soul like Ali, who harboured ambitions to follow a religious life, should be caught up in a violent conflict – ‘one of the many wars that humans are so busy inventing’. In fact, as we learn, his involvement results from an act of sacrifice. Ali recalls his mother’s anguish at not being able to view the body of Ali’s brother, so devastating were his injuries, and is determined she not should not suffer in the same way again. ‘Ali reflected that even if he didn’t survive, at the very least, he had to keep this promise to himself: to make sure his body stayed whole, so Nahla could see it and say goodbye to him…’

Where the Winds Calls Home has a dreamlike quality as Ali’s thoughts move, often imperceptibly, between past and present. There is striking imagery, particularly the presence of a mysterious ‘Other’ whose movements seem to mirror Ali’s own struggles to achieve his objective. It’s a heartbreaking story of the destructive impact of war and a reminder that seemingly intractable conflicts persist in many parts of the world.

Sadly not for me. Great plot/concept but the writing style isn’t my cup of tea. It’s very stream of consciousness and repetitive with more telling than showing. I DNFd at 30% (50 pages) after feeling bored and not wishing to continue but based on the glowing reviews, plenty of other readers will enjoy more than me!

This was a compelling read. It starts off as quite a discombobulating experience, and it becomes apparent that this is mutually experienced by reader and narrator. It isn’t always clear what’s real and what’s not, what’s real-time and what’s already past, if the narrator is dead or alive. This haziness only amps up the tension, deftly juxtaposed against sentences invested in the wonderment and serenity offered by nature.

As recollections and awareness thread together, a life takes shape. It becomes apparent that this affinity with the natural world is an important part of the narrator’s way of being. Treading gently on the mountains of their homeland as per traditions of old, caring and living off it, stories informed by their landscape from time immemorial, until things change for the worse in the wake of uprisings and civil war.

Their Alawite way of life is commandeered, the regime’s ideology infiltrating long established beliefs, their men and their livelihood absorbed into a costly war waged for the benefit of the privileged few. The book carefully records their beliefs and traditional ways of being against these losses and tragedies.

Interestingly, the narrator is named Ali and the spiritual aspects of his journey amidst the cycles of time echoes his own affinity with the divine during his lifetime, untethered from more earthly concerns, a sacred connection particularly with the tree atop the venerated shrine atop his mountainous homeland below the wind. Despite trauma and destruction, his struggle ends on a hopeful note as he returns to a place he so longs for.

WHERE THE WIND CALLS HOME was first published in Arabic as Maqam Al Rih in 2021, and translated into English by Leri Price (2023). My thanks to @worlded @netgalley for this complimentary copy.

Where the Wind Calls Home by Samar Yazbek and translated by Leri Price is heart-achingly beautiful. Ali loves the wind and nature and only wishes to follow the same path as his beloved saint. He does not quite fit into society and shies away from expectations. Outside Ali's bubble, things are changing. Other groups are forming and organizing and imposing different orders through intimidation and violence. The novel is centered on Ali who is dying under a tree. We pass dreamlike from the present to the past and back again, ever intermingling. It made me wish we could create a better world for all the Alis.

Price is an excellent translator and has done a tremendous job supporting the ambiance of the novel through her word choices.

This was the first fiction by Samar Yazbek I have read. I previously read her non-fiction تسع عشرة امرأة and have tremendous respect for her work.

The story of Ali, who, while struggling to understand where he is in the present after what might have been a bomb that explodes next to him, is remembering momentous episodes in his life in small mountainous village in Syria in the run up the the civil war that ravaged the country.

While essentially an anti war novel, it is also a nuanced and tender exploration of what it means to be a sensitive soul living in those conditions, and what it takes to keep it the way it is while your reality constantly tries to toughen it. It is also an homage to mothers, with a particularly memorable quote being: "the curse of mothers was not merely their love, but the ropes with which their love binds its object".

While I can't say I enjoyed this book, I am happy I read it and experienced it. It reminded me of Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun in some ways, with more softness and care. The indictment of war is doubly powerful when it touches people who just can't understand or comprehend it.

The writing was great, and while the parr dealing with Ali's current state were a bit complex and dreamlike, it was worth persevering.

Recommend it to anyone interested in recent Syrian history, and anyone who needs a reminder what corrupting effect war can have, especially on a country that is already somewhat corrupt.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication, in return for an honest opinion.

The Syrian war was still a distant crisis in Ali’s impoverished mountain village, but its presence was made real by the new Graveyard of Martyrs, a reality that was replicating throughout the region. Ali was nineteen when he was recruited to protect the homeland, by the same man who had recruited his brother. Before the bomb exploded, Ali wanted only to study with the old village sheikh and commune with nature where his heart and soul lived. But that was before. Now, Ali’s body is damaged as he lies under an oak tree, piecing together what happened, drifting in and out of consciousness, in and out of the past and present in a rolling wave, questioning why his youth is now spent in these few meters between a bomb and an oak tree, what he will be after.

Told in beautiful, deeply moving prose, this story is about a family and village dragged into a battle that is not theirs, a cause that need not affect them. It is a quiet and devastating story of one young man’s introspection in the long moments before his death. A profound and necessary read.

Thank you to World Editions and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

A devastating story about war and family, about religion, submissiveness and human connection with nature.

Using dreamlike, poetic language, the author tells a story about a young man now -- torn apart by a bomb, trying to climb a tree in hopes of surviving -- and before -- snippets of important moments in his life, before enlisting in the army. I loved reading about this village and all the connections between these ordinary people living in circumstances that shouldn't be as ordinary as they are.

"...in the same way that they reused food, soil, rocks, everything, even grief."

I found some parts of the 'now' perspective redundant. Him constantly slipping between life and death made a lot of his thoughts and actions repetitive, which, consequently, made me a bit bored and drowsy at times. But once I came to the realization that these repetitions are a product of him dying, I grasped how brilliant it all is. From that point onward, I reveled in his fascination with nature and his persistence. The story of the main character is, ultimately, miserable. He is misunderstood from his childhood and surrounded by death. Even though his birthplace provided beautiful moments, it is also, and unfortunately, a tragedy in itself.

"He realised that the curse of mothers was not merely their love, but the ropes with which their love binds its object."