This is a book about a girl called Rama and her family, whose lives are torn apart by war, and they have to leave everything behind and find refuge in Europe. The book, though sad, ends on a hopeful note.
I picked up this book because of its cover page- the illustrations were done with stones, something I had never seen before. The author’s note at the beginning of the book is just as interesting. While she was browsing Facebook, she came across Nizar’s work- the picture of a woman hugging her child, and the father carrying luggage, and when she realized it was made of stones, there was no stopping her. She went through a lot of trouble in trying to contact him; through friends in Australia, Pakistan, and finally in Syria.
The book explains how the illustrator does his work, which made me appreciate the illustrations even more. He has to dismantle his art after he is done, as he cannot afford the special glue that can give permanence to his art. He only keeps photographic documentations of his work. This practice very much explains his philosophy:
‘As such, my work possesses an inherent ephemeral character, which requires an ability to detach from material objects and understand the temporary nature of everything in life’.
The thing that struck me the most about the book, which I realized only after reading an interview with the Author, was that she had written the book in such a way that it is not explicitly stated that the family depicted in the story is from Syria. She wrote it this way so that the story can apply to anyone. She once gave the book to a Syrian refugee family that lived near her house, and after reading it, the father started to cry.
This book made me introspect about the Syrian situation and made me realize why such books are important- they give us a perspective about such situations from the people who are directly experiencing them, thus making it more real for the rest of us.
