"The ancient, sometimes mystical connection between maps, people, and knowledge is central to Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar's
The Map of Salt and Stars, a double tale of voyage and exile that moves between contemporary war-torn Syria and the caravansaries and khans of its lost past....What Joukhadar does beautifully is to connect, in a vivid and urgent way, Syria and the United States....
The Map of Salt and Stars is important and timely becasue it shows how interconnected two supposedly opposing worlds can be. Our many stories are part of the same larger tale, part of the same larger map."--The New York Times Book Review
"In Joukhadar's intoxicating debut, the past and present are brought to life, illuminating how, in exile, neither can exist without the other. With clear, exquisite prose, Joukhadar unspools a brightly imagined tale of family and grief, mapmaking and migration. This important book is a love letter to the vanished--and to what remains."--Hala Alyan, author of Salt Houses
"E. M. Forster taught us that 'fiction is truer than history because it goes beyond the evidence.' Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar's magic first novel is a testimony to that maxim. We've all been aware of the plight of Syrian refugees, but in this richly imaginative story we see one small family - both haunted by history and saved by myth - work their way west. It's beautiful and lovely and eye-opening."
--Chris Bohjalian, bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and The Guest Room
"The Map of Salt and Stars is the sweeping, thrillingly ambitious tale of Nour, Rawiya, and their parallel searches for home. In twin narratives that unfold eight hundred years apart, Joukhadar captures the unrelenting courage of those who persist amid the trials of exile. A truly remarkable debut."--Kirstin Chen, author of Bury What We Cannot Take and Soy Sauce for Beginners
"Navigation is the theme of this novel built around two voyages. The first is a refugee's journey as 11-year-old Nour, who was born in New York, returns with her mother to Syria, only to face conflict and a bombed-out home. This story is twinned with a fabulous tale of a medieval expedition to map the Arabic world guided by the stars, creating a work that is both magical and heart-wrenching."--Christian Science Monitor
"Beguiling...brings an intimacy to what is one of the stories of our age...Joukhadar's prose is like a dream."--Seattle Times
"In her rich and often heartbreaking debut, Syrian American writer Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar tries to make whole the broken memory of a nation caused by the deadly conflick in Syria....Joukhadar's vibrant prose brings to life the very real and devastating struggle that many refugees face today."--The Daily Beast
"[An] ambitious debut... Joukhadar plunges the Western reader full force into the refugee world with sensual imagery."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Nour's family constantly endures hardship. . . but her young, honest voice adds a softer, coming-of-age perspective to this story of loss, hope, and survival. . . This imaginative yet very real look into war-torn Syria is a must."--Booklist, starred review
"A stunning dual narrative about families, crossing borders, and finding a new way home....Joukhadar's absorbing narrative offers a vividly particular glimpse into the refugee crisis and two unforgettable heroines united by their bravery and hope."--Shelf Awareness for Readers, starred review