Summary

The free-verse novel begins in the summer by the sea. Jude smells the saltwater and tries to avoid the tourists from Damascus and Aleppo. This year, there will be fewer visitors from Aleppo due to the war.

Jude thinks about how different Syria looks in real life than on TV, and how much she wishes the world could see her beautiful seaside town instead of the burning, crammed cities. Fatima is Jude’s best friend. She is a month older than Jude and has already begun her period, meaning that she now covers her hair with a hijab. Jude and Fatima always have their afternoon snacks together because their mothers are also best friends. They watch old American movies together. Jude’s older brother, Issa, used to watch the girly movies with them until their father scolded him.

Jude and Issa walk down by...