An unsafe haven

'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 region’s 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.