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Rebirth: A Love Story From the Depths of War
Antoun Issa powerfully captures his mother's true experiences of love, heartbreak and new hope during the violence of civil war.
Beirut, 1974. Laila Khalil has just come of age for marriage. The eldest of five in a poor Catholic family, Laila knows that she must fulfil her family's expectations. But her heart is drawn to the handsome Nicolas, a coiffeur at a local hair salon. Dodging the watchful eyes in their patriarchal society, particularly those of Laila's domineering father, the two young lovers begin a tender romance. Soon, they begin to make plans for marriage.
But Laila's dreams are dashed when the Lebanese Civil War breaks out.
Shells whir overhead as Laila's family are caught in heavy clashes between the Christian Phalangists and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. When tragedy strikes, Laila watches all her hopes wither to ash. But just as life seems its darkest, a lifeline presents the prospect of migration to a faraway land called Australia.
Rebirth brings to light a young woman's extraordinary journey through war, tragedy, migration and renewal.
Beirut, 1974. Laila Khalil has just come of age for marriage. The eldest of five in a poor Catholic family, Laila knows that she must fulfil her family's expectations. But her heart is drawn to the handsome Nicolas, a coiffeur at a local hair salon. Dodging the watchful eyes in their patriarchal society, particularly those of Laila's domineering father, the two young lovers begin a tender romance. Soon, they begin to make plans for marriage.
But Laila's dreams are dashed when the Lebanese Civil War breaks out.
Shells whir overhead as Laila's family are caught in heavy clashes between the Christian Phalangists and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. When tragedy strikes, Laila watches all her hopes wither to ash. But just as life seems its darkest, a lifeline presents the prospect of migration to a faraway land called Australia.
Rebirth brings to light a young woman's extraordinary journey through war, tragedy, migration and renewal.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 12, 2026
I cried through the last chapter. I cried through the epilogue. I even cried through the acknowledgments!
That line… “here in this land, our stomachs are fed while our hearts go hungry” …. it broke me.
A line that describes the yearning felt by every child in the diaspora.
This is such a beautiful and honourable story of love for our mothers, our ancestors, our lands, our heritage and our search for identity.
I cried.
That line… “here in this land, our stomachs are fed while our hearts go hungry” …. it broke me.
A line that describes the yearning felt by every child in the diaspora.
This is such a beautiful and honourable story of love for our mothers, our ancestors, our lands, our heritage and our search for identity.
I cried.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy
Stars don't seem an adequate measure of this book. Admirers of Issa's journalism will recognise his incredible eye for detail in this book. The generation scars of war do not fade quickly. Urgent and desperate– a story that shouldn't be missed by Australians.
Review of advance copy
Rebirth: A Love Story From the Depths of War cleverly weaves a layered and complex geopolitical history into a compelling love story. Set in a beautiful yet fragile ancient country, the novel explores how waves of refugees and shifting political tensions shape everyday life. Amid this geopolitical maelstrom, a young couple’s forbidden love struggles to survive under the constant threat of violence and civil war. Like all great love stories, it is a story of hope, danger, sacrifice, and ultimately finding safety in a foreign land. Woven within this poignant story is another deeply personal one, as the author pays homage to his extraordinary mother. Importantly, the book also highlights the country’s vulnerability to outside forces, continual threats of invasion, and the devastating realities of displacement, ethnic cleansing, and war that still resonate today. Highly recommend.
Review of advance copy
This is deeply intimate and tender storytelling of a grueling part of Lebanon's history. Told through the lens of the people, families, civilians, at the heart of conflict and strife, with intersecting themes of home, indigeneity, class, heritage, and gender. This is a reclamation of a story that has often been told by others, centering violent politics, seldom giving space to the impact on human lives, in their day to day, and how trauma manifests in the home.
Grounded in historical facts, Issa tells his mother's story with clarity, and an attempt to answer the question many in the diaspora find themselves asking, "what is our place in this world". This is a rightfully earned ode to the matriarchs of history.
Grounded in historical facts, Issa tells his mother's story with clarity, and an attempt to answer the question many in the diaspora find themselves asking, "what is our place in this world". This is a rightfully earned ode to the matriarchs of history.
Review of advance copy
I walked into a bookstore and this was the first and only book I picked up. My name is Leila and my husbands name is Nicholas.
What a beautiful heartache of a story. An honour to family and the pain of a county captured justly. As a daughter of immigrants, I too connected deeply with this book.
What a beautiful heartache of a story. An honour to family and the pain of a county captured justly. As a daughter of immigrants, I too connected deeply with this book.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A beautiful, heart breaking, and harrowing read. Wonderful writing that engagingly captures Antoun’s mother’s experiences.
June 15, 2026
My favourite book of 2026 by far.
This book took me deep into the Lebanese civil war as if my mother was telling the story herself. Every bullet, every cup of tea .. I sensed it all through the talented writing of Antoun Issa.
The book was so emotional and made me tear up a few times. Antoun managed to get so much of his mother’s life on paper and engage with readers in a balanced way.
Don’t miss this book and everyone should read it no matter your reading genre. You will not be disappointed.
This book took me deep into the Lebanese civil war as if my mother was telling the story herself. Every bullet, every cup of tea .. I sensed it all through the talented writing of Antoun Issa.
The book was so emotional and made me tear up a few times. Antoun managed to get so much of his mother’s life on paper and engage with readers in a balanced way.
Don’t miss this book and everyone should read it no matter your reading genre. You will not be disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews