Review Detail

A Land of Permanent Goodbyes is a tear-provoking story about Tareq and his family as they struggle to find their way to safety. His story is narrated by Destiny who struggles to deal with the dark side of humanity. In many ways, the narration reminds me of the way Death narrates the Book Theif by Markus Zusak, and tires to decipher how humans are capable of so much ugliness and so much beauty.

Atia Abawi thrusts the reader into the heart of the Syrian refugee crisis, to all Tareq and his fellow refugees endure, exposing you to the reality of refugee life and the terrors and struggles entailed within this is an important read it gives insight to the issues that refugees face. While reading this book, I found myself pausing to wipe tears from my eyes, my heart racing at the end of each page desperate, hoping that everything would turn out okay. But, I would find those tears returning as I would come to understand why Tareq lives in a land of permanent goodbyes and that sometimes life is a constant struggle.

Abawi's accounts of Tariq's goodbyes and hardships hit me deeper than any newsreel.I have been recommending this book to everyone I know. While written with teen readers in mind, it is a good read for adults. Every once in awhile you find a book that enters your life and leaves an indelible mark, one that leaves a permanent impression, and makes you a better person for just having read it. A Land of Permanent Goodbyes is just such book. Fans of Refugee by Alan Gratz will find A Land of Permanent Goodbyes a deeper and grittier look at the horrors faces by the Syrian refugees.