An Unsafe Haven

(Hardback)

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'Captivating There's a breadth of humanity in An Unsafe Haven which is very moving. I loved the sense of Lebanon and of what is unique and precious about the Arab world' Helen Dunmore
Hannah has deep roots in her hometown of Beirut, where she lives with her American husband, Peter. Just when they thought they had gotten used to the upheavals in Lebanon, the war in neighbouring Syria enters its fifth year, and the regions increasingly fragile state throws their daily lives into chaos.

A chance meeting with a Syrian woman and her son in a busy street forces Hannah to face the worsening refugee crisis. As the couple work to reunite Fatima with her family, they must question the very future of their homeland.

And when their close friend Anas, an artist, arrives to open his exhibition, shocking news from his home in Damascus raises uncomfortable questions about his loyalty to his family and his country.

Reviews

Praise for An Unsafe Haven:

'The carefully chosen title is a beautiful summary capturing the complexity, the strain and ultimately the instinct of how we identify with home, place and belonging. The publishers are certainly right to be proud of this elegant and relevant literary contribution.' Litro

Brings home the reality of humanity caught in the crossfire of war Independent

Each character is portrayed in wonderfully vivid and intricate detail an absolute triumph for Jarrar, who is able to depict the story in a way few other writers could. Bold, tender and personal this is a must-read Scotsman

Praise for Somewhere, Home:

'A picture of lyrical simplicity her style is subtle and leaves the reader with an urge to find out more about the places and people she has created' Observer

Praise for A Good Land:

Its an intense encounter with a mysterious and complicated place. Jarrars movement between tenses and time zones serves to convince the reader that past and present cannot be separated Time Out

Praise for Dreams of Water:

The beauty of this novel lies in its images which are vivid and strange, sometimes even fantasticalThere is comfort in reading about characters, all of whom are withdrawn and inhibited, yet who are shown as capable of great tenderness
Times Literary Supplement

A slow-burning, powerful story of loss and grief
Good Housekeeping

'Twenty years ago, when civil war broke out in Lebanon, Nada Awar Jarrar was forced to flee with her family. Her novel Dreams of Water recasts this experience in a tale about a family whose son goes missing in war-ravaged Beirut'
Vogue

Author Bio

Nada Awar Jarrar was born in Lebanon to an Australian mother and a Lebanese father. She is normally based in Beirut with her husband Bassem and their daughter Zeina but, as a result of the outbreak of war in Lebanon, the family was forced to flee to the mountains in search of safety. Nada Awar Jarrar has been vocal in her condemnation of the killing of innocent civilians in this conflict, publishing a piece in The Times and contributing to an anthology of Lebanese writing, Lebanon, Lebanon, the profits of which went to Save the Children Lebanon. Her first novel, Somewhere, Home won the Commonwealth Best First Book award for Southeast Asia and the South Pacific in 2004.