Zoulfa Katouh

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow follows Salama, a young Syrian pharmacy student who is forced to work as a volunteer medic during the Syrian civil war. As she witnesses the destruction around her and struggles with trauma and loss, she is torn between staying to help her people and escaping to safety. Haunted by visions of her past and the war’s brutality, Salama meets someone who gives her hope for a different future. The novel explores themes of war, survival, trauma, hope, love, and the difficult choices faced during conflict.