The Syrian civil war started on the 15th of March 2011. Unfortunately, it is still an ongoing multi-sided armed conflict, fought primarily between the government of president Bashar al-Assad, and various forces opposing the government.
The war altered the lives of all Syrians, in ways no one could ever imagine. Which is why this novel I’m about to talk about is very important. We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices From Syria by Wendy Pearlman is reminiscent of the work of Nobel Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich. An astonishing collection of intimate wartime testimonies and poetic fragments from a cross-section of Syrians whose lives have been transformed by revolution, war, and flight.
Pearlman’s dedication to communicate directly with Syrians over several years, across many countries, to present this unique account of the political and social history of Syria from the voices of Syrians is just amazing!
What the book does is give Syrians a chance to speak for themselves about what has happened to them and their country.
Some of the testimonies are several pages long, eloquent narratives that could stand alone as short stories; others are only a few sentences, poetic and aphoristic.