The Beekeeper of Aleppo

June 10, 2019
Lefteri (A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible) tells a haunting and resonant story of Syrian war refugees undertaking a treacherous journey to possible safety. In 2015, Nuri Ibrahim and his wife, Afra, who was blinded in an incident during the Syrian civil war, cling to their home while everyone else flees the bombings and violence. They are emotionally devastated by the loss and destruction of their neighborhood but decide to seek asylum in the U.K. after soldiers attempt to forcefully recruit Nuri. They travel through harsh conditions in Turkey and Greece, waiting in camps for the proper paperwork and meeting more refugees along the way. Nuri is determined to find his cousin Mustafa in the U.K., where the two men can return to their beloved work as beekeepers. Afra reckons with the reality that she will not be able to continue her life as an artist because of her blindness, and the couple recall painful memories as they are drawn into the agonizing experiences of other refugees. Lefteri perceptively and powerfully documents the horrors of the Syrian civil war and the suffering of innocent civilians. Readers will find this deeply affecting for both its psychological intensity and emotional acuity.

A harrowing story of Syrian war refugees is strikingly rendered in narrator Art Malik's deep, resonant tones. Nuri and Afra, a married couple who endure a devastating tragedy, are in the process of building new lives beyond the horrors of war. Malik's voice is gentle and soothing when appropriate and harsh and biting when necessary. He maneuvers through suspenseful moments and drastic shifts in time with alacrity. His delivery of dialogue is subtly distinctive, and he portrays multiple characters with varied accents consistently and without hesitation. One can't help but feel each turbulent twist the protagonists endure on their way to constructing new lives in a new place. Lefteri's storytelling and Malik's narrative prowess blend seamlessly to create a thought-provoking commentary on love and loss. L.B.F. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine