Steeped in sanctity but also violence, Meelya leads a double life inhabiting her dreams as fully as her waking life in war-torn Levant, which makes this a complex, chimerical novel. You get feelings of frustration and disenchantment about the political turmoil, although this is balanced by cultural descriptions and frequent poetical quotations. The writing is vivid and powerful as you unpick the ambiguities of this fascinating love story.
