The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan

Review by Udochi Esomonu

The Short 
Written by long-time journalist Sandy Tolan, this is a historical non-fiction novel that follows the development of friendship between Bashir Al-Khayri, a Palestinian 25-year old and Dalia Ashkenazi, a 19-year-old Israeli college student and follows them throughout the years.

The Long 

Bashir and his two cousins, who were forced to leave their homes in 1948, returned to his childhood home in Al-Ramla and found that his home was now housed by Dalia and her family, a Jewish family who fled Bulgaria in 1948 following the Holocaust. They begin a friendship through their shared home and author, Sandy Tolan, tells the story of the conflict through their personal stories and experiences. Throughout their friendship, Bashir and Dalia learn more about the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict through each other. Readers experience the trials faced by the friendship and over the span of decades, sees Bashir and Dalia develop and grow in their own family history and understanding of each other’s history. The book’s title comes from the tree that Bashir’s family built in the home’s backyard, which is used as a symbol of hope throughout the novel.

To read or not to read? 

Read! I think that this novel is a good introduction into the subject at hand. This book does not seek to provide any recommendations or solutions, but through its historical and anecdotal foundation, it provides a unique delivery of the context of the conflict. With the focal point being the personal perspectives of both Bashir and Dalia, I found that it helped me to better understand the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict. As someone who wanted to learn more about the subject, I found this interesting and very beneficial to read.