Cât timp înfloresc lămâii

Salama is eighteen and studies pharmacology. Then the Syrian revolution begins. Her close family shares a life shaped by love and tradition. Her brother, Hamza, has married her best friend, Layla. War tears that life apart as relatives die or go missing.

The local hospital has too few staff to treat the wounded. Salama takes on surgical work to help fill that gap. Layla, now pregnant, is the only family she has left. Salama feels a duty to help those around her. She falls in love with Kenan, a young protester. This gives her one more reason to stay. Yet she must find a way out to protect Layla and her child.

Zoulfa Katouh wrote this novel for young adults. It follows the early years of Syria’s revolution, which began in 2011. It explores grief, first love, and family ties. It also looks at the trauma that drives people from home. Salama’s choices show how duty can clash with the need for safety. The story asks how people keep hope under violent rule. Katouh draws on her own pain, guilt, love, and hopes. This is a Romanian translation of As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. It forms part of the Biblioteca lui Morar series.