A Land of Permanent Goodbyes

The refugee experience and the trauma that such displacement brings with it is the central theme of A Land of Permanent Goodbyes. By explicating some of the geopolitical reasons for the unrest in Syria, the book makes it clear how little control everyday people like Tareq have over their situations when they become refugees. It’s a trickle-down impact of decisions made by political and religious leaders. Tareq cannot control the evolution of Daesh. He cannot control the bombs that seek to destroy the militants—but might strike civilians like himself instead. He cannot control what is happening to the country he loves so much—in fact, he can’t even pinpoint the cause for the chaos around him. He reflects on how people in Syria are looking for answers and thinks of an article shared by his family and friends who support the government of President Bashar al-Assad on Facebook. The article traces the current violence back to an anti-government revolt in 2011, a response to a loss of fertile land. Destiny notes, however, “In reality, there were many sparks that started the inferno that burned a great civilization into the ashes—there always are” (30). Tareq’s confusion regarding what has happened to his family and his country—and just why it has happened—speaks to a tough fact that the book revisits repeatedly: Bad things happen to good people.