Roots of the Banyan Tree
In 1975, fourteen-year-old Noor is half-Palestinian Christian and half-Lebanese Muslim, living and going to school in Beirut, which is on the cusp of another civil war. Noor comes from an educated family and has friends of all faiths and backgrounds. She exudes a bright and cheerful manner, which attracts her peers and older relatives. When political and sectarian strife boil over, once-vibrant Beirut becomes a center of deadly violence and, always inquisitive, Noor narrowly escapes molestation or worse after sneaking too close to the front lines. Interestingly, Noor and her friends are required to always maintain national ID cards which mandate that the holder’s “sect,” i.e., the religion of the holder’s father, be indicated.
Later, Noor’s mother gets an opportunity to obtain a work permit in New York City. The family decides Noor will move there with her mother, as Lebanon is becoming even more unstable. Her loving father stays behind to continue his work in Beirut. Initially, the plan is to ride out the violence and return when it’s quieter at home. In NYC, Noor quickly finds new friends, joins the drug scene, and falls in with a group of young people into identity politics and protests. When her father falls ill at home, she returns to Beirut and learns a hidden family secret.
I found the most interesting segments of this novel were Noor’s experiences in Beirut. NYC and her newer friends just didn’t seem as appealing nor memorable. Noor herself is immediately engaging, and the novel’s most endearing quality is the indomitably close relationship between the young girl and her mother and father during the most difficult of times.
