The Beekeeper of Aleppo

A Novel

By: Christy Lefteri

Narrated by: Art Malik

This unforgettable novel puts human faces on the Syrian war with the immigrant story of a beekeeper, his wife, and the triumph of spirit when the world becomes unrecognizable.

"A beautifully crafted novel of international significance that has the capacity to have us open our eyes and see." (Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz)

• Winner of the Aspen Words Literary Prize
• Finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize
• Named One of the Best Books of the Year by Real Simple

Nuri is a beekeeper, and Afra, his wife, is an artist. Mornings, Nuri rises early to hear the call to prayer before driving to his hives in the countryside. On weekends, Afra sells her colorful landscape paintings at the open-air market. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the hills of the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo - until the unthinkable happens. When all they love is destroyed by war, Nuri knows they have no choice except to leave their home. But escaping Syria will be no easy task: Afra has lost her sight, leaving Nuri to navigate her grief as well as a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece toward an uncertain future in Britain.

Nuri is sustained only by the knowledge that waiting for them is his cousin, Mustafa, who has started an apiary in Yorkshire and is teaching fellow refugees beekeeping. As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss but dangers that would overwhelm even the bravest souls. Above all, they must make the difficult journey back to each other, a path once so familiar yet rendered foreign by the heartache of displacement.

Moving, intimate, and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a book for our times: a novel that at once reminds us that the most peaceful and ordinary lives can be utterly upended in unimaginable ways and brings a journey in faraway lands close to home, never to be forgotten.

Praise for The Beekeeper of Aleppo

"This book dips below the deafening headlines, and tells a true story with subtlety and power." (Esther Freud, author of Mr. Mac and Me)

"This compelling tale had me gripped with its compassion, its sensual style, and its onward and lively urge for resolution." (Daljit Nagra, author of British Museum)

"This novel speaks to so much that is happening in the world today. It’s intelligent, thoughtful, and relevant, but very importantly it is accessible. I’m recommending this book to everyone I care about." (Benjamin Zephaniah, author of Refugee Boy)

©2019 Christy Lefteri (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[Christy] Lefteri sensitively charts what it’s like when war comes home, alert to the subtle effects of trauma and grief. Nuri and Afra are not broadly sketched as victims, but rather suffer in different and complex ways from PTSD.... By creating characters with such rich, complex inner lives, Lefteri shows that in order to stretch compassion to millions of people, it helps to begin with one." (Time)

"Beekeeper Nuri and his wife, Afra, are devastated by the Syrian civil war. After violence claims their child and Afra’s eyesight, the couple is forced to flee Aleppo and make the fraught journey to Britain - and an uncertain future." (USA Today Five Books Not to Miss)

"In recounting the daily brutality as well as the glimmers of beauty, this novel humanizes the terrifying refugee stories we read about in the news. Lefteri explores questions of trust and portrays what trauma and loss can do to individuals and their relationships.... A beautiful rumination on seeing what is right in front of us - both the negative and the positive." (The Boston Globe Pick of the Week)

Beautiful, lyrical and totally engrossing!

I will shout from the hilltops to recommend this book! What a beautiful, engaging story that takes us deeper into one of the biggest human crises of our modern history. The characters are so rich and complicated and real… The descriptions of the scenery so vivid. And I will say how happy I am that I listened to this book on audible… Art Malik’s narration added a depth to the story that would have been missed if I had read it myself. Make time to listen to this book!

Aftereffects of the Syrian War

I listened to this book about the war in Syria; awesomely narrated by Art Malik! I am going to digress a bit before I get to my review. In this time of the covid virus and social distancing this book was tough to listen to; my heart ached for Nuri and Afra and it began to weigh on me about if I wanted to continue to listen to the horrors of what this man and his wife suffered. At the same time as I listened to this book I was reading The Queen Bee and Me by Gillian McDunn. Both books were about bees; oh did I learn an awful lot about bees---I loved the information in both books. But even this middle grade book I was reading was tough to read (reminder I am reading and listening while the world is crazy with the virus, people dying and others lives impacted by Loneliness and depression) because the main character is bullied by her best friend and this friend was particularly mean spirited. Thankfully both books end with hope and redemption and my hesitation was rewarded with two tremendous books; one middle grade dealing with bullying and one adult book dealing with war and a dark time in history for so many refugees.
So back to The Beekeeper of Aleppo, the devastation Nuri and Afra suffer almost tears them apart as they flee Aleppo and make the dangerous trek to England to meet cousin Mustafa, a beekeeper who wants to continue his association with Nuri as a beekeeper but this book is fraught with roadblocks, the reality of the war and what it does to normal people as well as the unscrupulous. Thankfully Nuri has money to finance their journey. I rooted for Nuri and Afra and all the people they came in contact with during this very dark time in history and Nuri and Afra. A must read for all!

It is a good book

Me parece un excelente libro para escuchar (mobile phone) y leer en inglés ( Kindle e-book) , gran trabajo del narrador aunado a una hermosa historia de dolor, solidaridad y determinación. La escritora nos sumerge en una realidad que nos golpea todos los días y sin embargo apenas pocas personas ven, o, sienten. Los personajes se crecen y las circunstancias bélicas que sufren esos pueblos, que pudieran ser de ficción, resultan realidades en nuestra mente, porque en el fondo: lo son.

beautiful and heartbreaking

This was such a powerful and tragic story so well written. At times it was hard to listen to because the story is so sad that there is also so much beauty in beauty in it. Highly recommended.

Beautiful and enlightening

Beautiful book. Amazingly well written.
Moving. Eye opener.
Made me feel humble in our privileged world.
Excellent narration too.
One of the best books I ever read.
Highly recommended

Loved the Narrator!

Powerful story of what it’s like to live in the midst of civil war. This is a tale of loss, struggle & hope.

Touches your heart!

This book opened my eyes and heart to the refugee experience and made me angry, sad, happy, hopeless and empathetic all in one. Although fictional, there is truth in all of this story.
I couldn’t wait to continue listening to what was to come next. I was fearful of the next event yet hopeful. This book really touched my heart and I want to do more to help the refugees in their struggle to live in peace with their loved ones.
The narrator Art Malik was terrific. I felt as though I was right beside him along every turn of his journey!
Brava to Christy Lefteri for bringing this story to life! Well done!

Excellent novel about⁰ forced migration

A gripping yet touching story of a couple's migration out of war torn Syria. I gained new insights into what migrants are going through.

Interesting

Very interesting to learn about Syrian refugees and the hardships they have endured. Would recommend.

Heartbreaking and beautiful.

This novel follows the story of a family in Syria fleeing the war. It jumps around quite a bit and keeps you on your toes. I wish I had read the actual book because I wanted to turn back and reread a few times. But, the narrator does a beautiful job of pacing and the author brings it all back around so you really don't need to reread. I'm finishing the story with tears in my eyes.