Carla Kweifio-Okai, about The Crossing, for The Guardian, December 2015
The Syrian refugee crisis was the defining story of 2015. For exiled Syrian journalist Samar Yazbek, it was deeply personal and years in the making. In this compelling read, Yazbek weaves her experiences of the civil war with snapshots of the life cycle of the crisis – from early street demonstrations against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, to the multi-faceted conflict we face today.

Olivia Snaije, for Publishing Perspectives, December 2015
The Shell as part of the “top books” of 2015. Snaije says:
“Last but not least, La Coquille, (The Shell) by Moustafa Khalifé, a book I read in French, translated from Arabic, gave me the distinct feeling once I had finished it that I was no longer the same. Masterfully translated by Stéphanie Dujols, this autobiographical novel about 13 years spent in a Syrian prison is devastating and altogether mesmerizing, as terrible as the story is.

By Sonia Dayan-Herzbrun, for En attendant Nadeau, published on February 10, 2016
The American neighbourhood, last novel Jabbour Douaihy, is as a long love letter to Tripoli, Northern Lebanese city where the author spent much of his childhood and where he teaches French literature …
This beautiful novel, of classical style with the fate of its characters intersecting and intertwining, with no downtimes, is a pleasurable and emotional read.

This beautiful novel, of classical style with the fate of its characters intersecting and intertwining, with no downtimes, is a pleasurable and emotional read. …

Belbol’s father just passed away in a Damascus hospital. His last request to his son was to be burried in his hometown of Aannabiya, in the province of Aleppo.