From the author of The Girls at 17 Swann Street comes a âmasterful story of tragedy and redemptionâ (Hala Alyan, author of Salt Houses) âwritten in soul-searing proseâ (BookPage, starred review) about a young Syrian couple in the throes of new love on the cusp of their bright future when a travel ban rips them apart on the eve of their sonâs premature birth.
Sama and Hadi are a young Syrian couple in love, dreaming of their future in the country that brought them together. Sama came to Boston years before on a prestigious Harvard scholarship; Hadi landed there as a sponsored refugee from a bloody civil war. Now, they are giddily awaiting the birth of their son, a boy whose native language will be freedom and belonging.
When Sama is five months pregnant, Hadiâs father dies suddenly, and Hadi decides to fly back to Jordan for the funeral. He leaves America, promising his wife heâll be gone only for a few days. On the date of his return, Sama waits for him at the arrivals gate, but he doesnât appear. As the minutes and then hours pass, she becomes increasingly alarmed, unaware that Hadi has been stopped by US Customs and Border Protection, detained for questioning, and deported.
Achingly intimate yet poignantly universal, No Land to Light On is âa tense, moving novel about the meaning of home, the risks of exile, the power of nations, and the power of loveâ (Kirkus Reviews).