No Land To Light On

Zgheib’s (The Girls at 17 Swann Street) lyrical sophomore novel highlights the human cost incurred by Donald Trump’s 2017 executive order, which prohibited refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. Hadi Deeb, a Syrian who has been granted legal refugee status, returns to Boston just as the travel ban has been enacted, only to be summarily deported to Jordan. Hadi’s pregnant wife, Sama, who is trapped by the frenzied demonstrations outside of the airport, goes into labor and delivers their frighteningly premature son. Narrators Fajer Al-Kaisi, Ali Andre Ali, and Suehyla El-Attar work together to provide a window into Hadi and Sama’s life before the chaos began, sensitively detailing a time when hope seemed possible. They poignantly capture not only lively domestic scenes, but also the bitter regret borne out of war and civil unrest. Listeners will be caught up in Hadi and Sama’s panic and disorientation and will hope that they find safe harbor amid the chaos.