The Myrtle Tree

by Jad El Hage

A poignant saga of how a young Lebanese family try everything to stop the encroaching civil war tear apart their rural life. Young Adam Awad, his wife and daughter live in the remote village of his family, in the Lebanese countryside where his uncle maintains there are no “vendettas and bloody feuds like in the North, no history of arms and bloodshed”. He wants to restore his father’s olive press house and live an idyllic life farming in peace, but it is 1976 and the civil war is closing in. The village becomes divided, but still Adam is determined to find a way to stop the escalation… Jad El Hage “The most recent of our wars began in the 1970s and ended by stages in the early 1990s, depending on how one defines ‘beginning’ and ‘end’. This uncertainty characterised the entire conflict. The only certainty is that we killed each other for more than fifteen years.”

Genres: Lebanon, Fiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2007

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautifully written novel set in the early years of the Lebanese civil war. It tells the story of a small mountain village Wahdeh and its inhabitants. The effect of war on this secluded village is heartbreaking. Very enjoyable book.

[Tala Halabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a lovely book. I had the privilage of getting a signed copy of it. As a Lebanese, it interests me to know all about the war and the people who lived through it. Very recommended book.