Fiction that brings history alive

We are immediately thrust into life in 1920s Palestine. The people and place are brought to life by simple yet evocative writing. I like getting the full backstory of the parents' courtship and the twins' childhood before getting to the main story that takes place during their young adulthood. While the chapters seem to cover a lot in a short couple of pages, the pace shifts to a more reasonable one once we get to 1941.