Aspiring photographer Dunya Noor discovers early on that her curious
spirit, rebellious nature, and very curly hair are a recipe for disaster
in 1980s Syria. And at the tender age of thirteen, she is exiled to live
with her grandparents in England. Many years later in London, she meets
Hilal, the son of a humble tailor from Aleppo and no match for Dunya,
daughter of a famous heart surgeon. But, dreamy, restless Dunya falls in
love with Hilal and they decide to return to Syria together, embarking
on a journey that will change them both forever. Rana Haddad's vivid and
satirical debut novel captures the essence of life under the Assad
dictatorship, in all its rigid absurdity, with humor and an unexpected
playfulness.