Synopsis – On a moonlit beach a father cradles his sleeping son as they wait for dawn to break and a boat to arrive. He speaks to his boy of the long summers of his childhood, recalling his grandfather’s house in Syria, the stirring of olive trees in the breeze, the bleating of his grandmother’s goat, the clanking of her cooking pots.

And he remembers, too, the bustling city of Homs with its crowded lanes, its mosque and grand souk, in the days before the sky spat bombs and they had to flee. When the sun raises and those around them will gather their possessions and embark on a perilous sea journey in search of a new home.

Author – Khaled Hosseini
Genre- War story, Political fiction
Publisher- Bloomsbury
Page count- 48 pages
Published in – August 2018

Review

This newly released book by the bestselling author is not a novel but a picture book with an accompanying short story. So before you purchase and have expectation to be like his previous enthralling thick novel like The Kite Runner and others, then not to be mistaken as this book is merely an illustration poem form of 48 pages. But as we all know Khaled Hosseini is a magician, this book depicts heart wrenching story with powerful words and beautiful images which will stir your heart.

The story starts with a father speaking to his beloved son, Marwan near a beachside under a moonlight waiting along with other refugees for a ferry or boat which will take them to a safe place where they can start their new life with a new hope.

His father seems like narrating a letter about his happy time in Homs i.e. as a child, like his son, what they used to do and enjoyed living there. When the lively city was filled with love of all faiths, the lanes smelled of fried kibbeh and the pleasant evening walks at Clock tower square. He also speaks how everything changed gradually from the protests to the siege and then bombs spitting from the sky which his son has seen.

The desperate father waiting for the boat, prays for a safe journey, prays that the destructive sea protects his son and takes them safely to the uninvited, unwelcome place.

It’s a simple yet powerful written with beautiful illustrations by Dan Williams can be read in merely 10 minutes which will evoke ourselves and make us pray for all the refugees who goes through this agony. This book will be special for me as I have received the author’s signed copy.

Sea Prayer, as the author Hosseini,who is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, was inspired by the story of Alan Kurdi, the three year old Syrian refugee who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea trying to reach safely in Europe in September 2015.

This book is dedicated to the thousands of refugees who have perished at sea fleeing war and persecution. The publisher will donate £1 (around Rs91) from the sale of each copy of the book to UNHCR.