Review of: "‘Beekeeper of Aleppo’

The Beekeeper of Aleppo centres around the story of Nuri, a beekeeper in Aleppo, Syria and his wife Afra, an artist.

They live a nice, happy, settled life and then their world erupts into turmoil. War breaks out in Syria and they must make a decision to stay or risk their lives with smugglers and escape.

Along with other refugees, they make the perilous journey through Turkey and Greece on the journey to the UK.

Nuri’s cousin and fellow beekeeper, Mustafa is waiting for him in the UK. Mustafa emails Nuri regularly and encourages him with stories of the new apiary he has set up in Yorkshire.

The bees keep Nuri going, and the hope of a new and stable life. The bees, these wondrous and beautiful insects are a symbol of life, renewal and hope.

“Where there are bees there are flowers, and where there are flowers there is new life and hope.”

It was a beautifully written book. It was emotional and empathetic to the lives of so many people who have had their world torn apart through war - and are just trying to survive. Something we should all think about - as in this increasing age of instability, it is a story that could happen to any of of us.

The situation in Syria is beyond sad. It was once a bustling centre of culture, learning and civilisation. Now over 6.6 million Syrians are internally displaced, and 5.6 million are refugees, predominantly in Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey (stats from UN). There are some brilliant charities doing great work to help Syrian refugees including @handsupfoundation and @karam_foundation