This book was beautiful and from the prologue I was entranced. It’s a difficult book to summarize, but it is so unique and full of the mess that is family. Told from various perspectives of the Nasr family in both the past and present. I loved that this story was from a perspective I don’t see often - it was about an Arab American family (including hints of the racism they encountered) and where they came from. Beirut is a place I’ve never been to and honestly I don’t think I’ve ever experienced through literature and it was an adventure I enjoyed. It wasn’t always pleasant this war torn place, but it had it’s own beauty and I enjoyed getting to see that glimpse. The Nasr family may live all over but tying them to their roots is the ancestral home in Beirut but Idris has decided to let go of the past and sell it which brings him, his wife, and the two of their children not already in Beirut rushing back to their home for the summer. Past and present and secrets all collide in such a beautiful way. I will be definitely be reading more from Hala Alyan.