TLC Tour & Review: The Doctor of Aleppo by Dan Mayland

Title: The Doctor of Aleppo
Author: Dan Mayland
Year Published: 2020

Category: Adult fiction (historical)

Pages: 368

Rating: 5 out of 5

Location (my 2020 Google Reading map): Syria, Turkey, Sweden, Denmark

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher and TLC Reviews for an unbiased review

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): In the ancient Silk Road city of Aleppo, a young American woman is sucked into the Syrian civil war engulfing the city. Relentlessly pursued by a Javert-like secret police officer, her only refuge is the rebel hospital run by a renowned surgeon.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Dan: Website | Facebook

Review: Wow, this book is really good! Thank you to the publisher and TLC Tours for including me as I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

While Syria has been in the news a lot over the past eight years, I would venture to guess that most Americans don't really understand what the civil war is all about and what it is like for the residents. This book does a good job of helping outsiders understand the players and what it's like for ordinary citizens who are living through hell every day. And it's wrapped up in a tight, well-written story.

The author's note at the back helps to explain why the book feels so authentic; he traveled to Syria and the Turkish border, spoke with journalists, nurses, doctors, aid workers, survivors, friends and relatives of people living in Aleppo. His main character, Dr. Sami, is based on a real life doctor in Aleppo, which makes the reader have a better sense of what life in Aleppo has been like.

I felt invested in the characters, especially Dr. Sami and Hannah, and was tense as I worried about what would happen to them. And, fair warning, the book is graphic in some parts. But without these descriptions, the book wouldn't have the impact that it does so it's important.

While reading any novel about war is difficult, this one hit me especially hard. From what I've heard, Syria was a lovely country and now it is destroyed and the people are suffering so much because of internal and external forces.

Challenges for which this counts:

This counts for the Popsugar challenge because it is a medial thriller. Well, it isn't technical a thriller, but it is thrilling and medical stuff has a prominent role so I'm counting it.