A HOUSE WITHOUT WALLS

A Syrian teen grows up quickly when her family becomes refugees in Jordan.

Safiya is a 12-year-old girl whose life carried on normally despite the ongoing Syrian civil war, as the conflict had yet to truly affect her city of Damascus. This all changes when a client of her father’s law practice is pursued by the government’s secret police and Safiya’s world is turned upside down. She and her family are forced to flee their home and live as refugees in Jordan, where her late mother came from. Safiya quickly learns that she must adapt in order to survive in this new country, living in a tent without a means of income or status. Though the details of the war are well explained and the author—who has worked in Syrian refugee camps in Jordan—attempts to write persuasively from the perspective of a Syrian girl, with Arabic words sprinkled throughout, the book falls short in conveying the cultural setting and authentically representing a Syrian family. Generic descriptions fail to bring Syria and Jordan vividly to life, and the story feels like it could have been about refugees from any country. Additionally, the author describes characters and situations in ways that at times reinforce Western stereotypes. Though Middle Eastern readers may not feel represented, the themes of hard work and family triumph will resonate with many readers. Occasional ink-wash–style illustrations supplement the text.

A heartfelt but disappointing attempt at convincingly presenting a Syrian refugee’s perspective.