A Land of Permenent Goodbyes

By: Atia Abawi
Location: FIC aba
Genre: Historical Fiction- Syria

"This is a harrowing and vitally important novel about an ongoing crisis. Tareq's story will linger with readers long after they've turned the final page."--Bookish

 "A Land of Permanent Goodbyes is an engrossing, heartbreaking story of survival, giving readers an authentic glimpse of the suffering and destruction in Syria."--Voice of Youth Advocates

Trigger warnings: death of a parent, death of a sibling, bombing, war, executions, death of a child, manipulation, people smuggling, child trafficking, drowning, mentions of rape.  - so I guess this book is a real reflection of the real story


Narrated by Destiny, this heartbreaking — and timely — story of refugees escaping from war-torn Syria is masterfully told by a foreign news correspondent who experienced the crisis firsthand.

In a country ripped apart by war, Tareq lives with his big and loving family . . . until the bombs strike. His city is in ruins. His life is destroyed. And those who have survived are left to figure out their uncertain future.

In the wake of destruction, he’s threatened by Daesh fighters and witnesses a public beheading. Tareq’s
family knows that to continue to stay alive, they must leave. As they travel as refugees from Syria to Turkey to Greece, facing danger at every turn, Tareq must find the resilience and courage to complete his harrowing journey.

But while this is one family’s story, it is also the timeless tale of all wars, of all tragedy, and of all strife. When you are a refugee, success is outliving your loss.

Destiny narrates this heartbreaking story of the consequences of war, showing the Syrian conflict as part of a long chain of struggles spanning through time.  


"Abawi sends some very specific and direct messages to her readers at the end, which just makes the book all that more powerful. We've heard the horror stories of Syrian refugees, and now we do not need to wonder anymore what those journeys are like. Extremely well written and extremely thought-provoking."- Lisa