by Alan Smyth, Gerard Doyle, Donal Ryan, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Vikas Adam, Alana Kerr Collins, Various Narrators
First published 2018
In war-torn Syria, Farouk faces an impossible choice: stay and surrender his family's freedom, or flee across dangerous waters toward an uncertain future. In rural Ireland, Lampy drives a bus, haunted by lost love and family secrets. And John, a man whose life has been a game of manipulation, now confronts his own mortality and the possibility of redemption. Their lives—each marked by loss, longing, and quiet desperation—will unexpectedly intersect in a powerful meditation on survival, connection, and what we're willing to risk for those we love.
Genres: literary-fiction, war, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, redemption
Setting: Syria, Ireland
192 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books
Content warnings: violence, war