Cover Image: The Stray Cats of Homs

The Stray Cats of Homs

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Nothing, NOTHING has brought the realities of the Syrian Civil War home to me like this novel, a mostly true, occasionally fictionalised, account of the life and experiences of the author's partner, 'Sami'.
Sami is the second youngest son of a loving family. There are a few chapters to begin with which demonstrate the idyllic childhood Sami and his siblings had, infused with the usual family conflicts and jealousies and the occasional formative experience but always with an awareness of "walls having ears". So the harrowing slide from hopeful revolution to soul-sapping war is especially painful. Sami bears witness to the destruction and errosion of his friends, family, culture, hopes and dreams and the humanity and empathy with which the story is told truly highlights the lack of options that ordinary civilians faced as they were trapped between a rock and a hard place.
There were numerous times during and after reading this where I wept with frustration and pain at the cost this war exacted and continues to do so, and even with glimmers of hope and empathy and Sami's seemingly nine lives, the horrors will stay with you long after you finish this. The book takes moments I remember seeing on the news and not fully understanding at the time, and fleshes them out fully with context. An absolute must read.

Was this review helpful?

Although this story is based on a real life story (the story teller is the partner of the protagonist Sami) somehow I just do not pick up any great literary merit in the telling of this story.Perhaps it is battle fatigue with reading too many first or secondhand stories of life in a war zone or perhaps I just cannot relate to the situation that exists in Syria at the present time.The title is also to my mind oddly chosen, although the author does explain herself at the very end in the acknowledgements.The cynic in me thinks that animal titles draw people into reading the book- we are suckers for a pet story in amongst all the inhumanness that goes on between people.Basically this is the story of how a Syrian family in Homs deals with the fighting between rebel forces and the Assad (Government) regime.You follow their lives during a very difficult time in History where everyone seems to think that others cannot be trusted.The family gets split up in various ways and as a result becomes detached from one another over a wide distance in time and space.The novel is an account of life over a few years of Sami the main character in the story.He is a young man in school, he moves on to further study.Then he is drafted into the Army for two years mandatory military service.He then deserts and remains in Homs his home City when bomb strikes are happening.He escapes capture then puts himself in the hands of smugglers to escape to Europe and a different life.
Perhaps if I had read this book under other circumstances I could have felt more compassion towards the inhumanity that is highlighted in the book.I still do not fully understand the crazy situation in the Middle East and it should be something I spend a little more time on studying.A novel like this should have allowed me into the lives of these particular people but I really feel disconnected with them and my empathy and understanding of their lives has not been enhanced by this story being told.

Was this review helpful?

Heartbreaking, but at the same time fascinating, it is a story of courageous people trying to live, not just survive, in a war torn country. I am so glad I read this, because it made the war that you see on TV real to me and I felt it opened my eyes to the horror of it all. This book will stay with me for a very long time.
Eva Nour has written this from the heart, thank you for doing so.
Thank you netgalley.

Was this review helpful?

The Stray Cats of Homs is an emotional and heartrending story of survival and hope in the direst of circumstances. We follow Sami through a mostly idyllic childhood in the Syrian city of Homs, with his siblings and loving parents. It isn’t until he becomes a teenager that he realises the tension that has begun to crop up within the country and he is forced into military service. This period changes his entire life and his views on his government and what he can do to help inspire change and revolution. Eva Nour has penned a truly beautiful novel. which follows the Syrian war and the far reaching consequences for the Syrian people.

One of the novels biggest strengths is Nours writing, which has some really poetic passages and quotes to sections where it’s more informative and factual. I think some readers may find some of the chapters more heavy with historical points and references but I thought it fit in with the novel well. These parts will educate readers who may be unfamiliar with the conflict and give them a basis, from which to research and educate themselves further.

As well as the writing itself, I thought Sami was such an incredible person and so strong for all he goes through and yet he still manages to retain hope. While this is obviously very difficult at times given all he goes through during the course of the novel and in the conflict, he finds the will to survive and also expose the injustices around him through photography. He joins a network of rebels and media organisations which focus on activism and portraying the realities to the rest of Syria and the international community. This shows how photography can be such a powerful tool in times of strife and prove to be so impactful.

I would also like to note that the novel is based on a true events, and is written under a pseudonym Eva Nour, for and with the real Sami present. The pseudonym is to protect the writer and Sami. I think the fact that I knew it was based on true events added so much more gravity and urgency to the novel and it made me so happy to know that he has found some happiness and is now safe and sound.

Overall, The Stray Cats of Homs is a memorable read and a testament to the human spirit. I would encourage everyone to pick up this novel and read Samis experiences for themselves, it is so vital and emotive and will stay with you.

Review to be posted on blog closer to publication date.

Was this review helpful?

Such a difficult and heartbreaking read. How young Sami , in fact anyone trying to survive in a war torn country like Lebanon, manages to keep some dignity and self respect I do not know! This was heartbreaking on times and it would have been easy to just shut the book but Nour grabbed and held m6 attention!

Was this review helpful?

Surely no-one could fail to be moved by this book? It broke my heart over and over. Based on a true account it tells of life and death, in war torn Lebanon. It is simply, yet powerfully told. Sami, our main character, battles to just survive and I was moved to tears each time he suffered or lost those around him that he loved. This book shows the absolute futility of war and if you can bear the sadness, you should read it.

Was this review helpful?

PUBLISHER’S DESCRIPTION:

"Sami’s childhood is much like any other - an innocent blend of family and school, of friends and relations and pets (including stray cats and dogs, and the turtle he keeps on the roof).

But growing up in one of the largest cities in Syria, with his country at war with itself, means that nothing is really normal. And Sami’s hopes for a better future are ripped away when he is conscripted into the military and forced to train as a map maker.

Sami may be shielded from the worst horrors of the war, but it will still be impossible to avoid his own nightmare…

Inspired by extraordinary true events, The Stray Cats of Homs is the story of a young man who will do anything to keep the dream of home alive, even in the face of unimaginable devastation. Tender, wild and unbearably raw, it is a novel which will stay with you forever."


This book, based on true experience and gives a very factual account of life during the siege of Homs and the harrowing experiences of Sami and his family and friends. It’s powerful stuff but it told me nothing I don’t already know; perhaps I am unusual in that but I had hoped this would give me a more personal account, something a little more human.

Nour is a journalist and to me this book reads like a newspaper feature. There are moments of beautiful writing which cause a pause for reflection but I found the style too impersonal…until the final two chapters. It is then we are told more of the emotional toll with some philosophical musings. I think I gleaned more from these two chapters than all the rest of the book.

Nour says she drew inspiration from Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner) but I’m afraid I saw no evidence of this.

Now, having said all this, some of you will love it. Some of you will appreciate the no nonsense style.

What I must say is for the last few nights I have hardly slept because of my dog has been unwell and this book has reminded me that really, a few night’s poor sleep is nothing…

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

Was this review helpful?

This story will stay with me for a long time. A book that everyone should read. A story of unimaginable deprivation in Syria. A story of one boy, Sami, who becomes a man during the siege of Homs, ravaged with the senseless brutality of Bashar al-Assad's military regime, pitched against certain Islamist groups that had formed a united resistance, wanting freedom and democracy. Homs became 'the capital of the revolution' but they were to be subjugated and butchered at every opportunity. Death lingered around every corner, residents subjected to daily bombing and missile attacks. Homs is laid waste.

The story follows Sami and his family - parents, two brothers and a sister - their daily struggle for survival. Sami's conscription into the regime military as a cartographer, a statutory two years of mindless torture and finally his release from the shackles of al-Assad's army.

This story is told through the eyes of Sami and composed by Eva Nour (a pseudonym), the story of the new millennium under al-Assad, the monster who released sarin gas over Eastern Ghouta, a Damascus suburb. And Sami's terrifying escape to Lebanon and beyond.

There are so many heartbreaking moments that haunt me. Descriptions of atrocities that are hard to read. This is how it was in Syria and still is. But, there is redemption - and I urge you all to read this book. The reality is required reading...

Was this review helpful?

Eva Nour is a pseudonym. A name taken to protect people in the book. Whoever she may be, this author has penned a book that will do for the suffering of the Syrian people what Khaled Hosseini (an acknowledged influence) did for Afghanistan and Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak for Turkey. Placing the Syrian people firmly in the centre of Western consciousness Nour’s quiet voice says: look, this happened. This is still happening. What did you do when you knew?


Please see my full review of this title here:
http://volatilerune.blog/2019/11/06/the-stray-cats-of-homs-eva-nour-doubleday/

Was this review helpful?

I would give this more than 5 stars if I could. This book really moved me. Reading it as a harrowing tale of a persons experience of growing up in Syria, then realising it is not fiction really hit me. It made me smile, it made me cry. I really cannot find the words to praise this book enough.

Was this review helpful?

The Stray Cats of Homs is a highly relevant book based on the life of a Syrian refugee. In this quietly emotive book, the harsh realities of living under a violently oppressive dictator spill over each page.

Sami spends his formative years with his loving family in Homs, an industrial city in Western Syria. These years for Sami are spent developing normally; forging deep friendships, schooling that leads to University & experiencing the intensity of first love.

When an entrepreneurial business gains the unwanted attention of the regime, Sami discovers the beginnings of the true nature of oppression. From here on in, Sami’s life barrels from detention to military service and on though a Civil War that knits him to Homs until something breaks. Sami must choose or get swallowed...

Eva Nour, writing under a pseudonym, has touchingly recreated a must read life of love, longing & the ultimate need to survive. She cleverly interplays Sami’s world with those of the many animals mentioned throughout the book. It is with cats however that the deeper connection lies, as like the cats Sami survives. In a world still so torn & divided, this story resonates.

Was this review helpful?

This is a very impressive achievement. It comes over as authentic,carefully researched and devastatingly upsetting in its subject matter. Sami is a young man with everything to live for until he and his family and friends are caught up in the Syrian civil war. Their native city of Homs becomes a tragic mess as their family and friends are forced to take sides. Sami stays true to his beliefs and has many lucky escapes. His friends and siblings are gradually drawn into the destruction of everything they loved. The decision to escape is a hard one to take and even harder to achieve. This is a story of love,hope,murder and destruction. It is superbly well written with entirely convincing characters. Even if a reader knows nothing about the civil war and military regime in Syria it is a gripping and saddening read.

Was this review helpful?

The Stray Cats of Homs just became my favourite read of the year. Nour has done a fantastic job of telling Sami’s truth. It warms my heart to know that at the centre of even the harshest of dictatorships, there are people like Sami, keeping hope alive, surviving despite it all. TSCOH is heartbreaking and I urge everyone to read it as soon as they possibly can. It’s a necessary story that we all need to read. A story gone untold for far too long. Thank you Sami.

Was this review helpful?

This is such a remarkable story in every sense of the word. It’s also a true story although names and some events have been changed. The author writes about how she met Sami and why she wanted to write this story in the author’s note. Read this at the end as you won’t believe that what you have read is true and you’ll want to know what happened to those in the book. It’s quite remarkable!

It’s such a strong and powerful read. Eva wanted this story told and you can feel the passion and a whole wrath of emotions though her narrative. I wouldn’t have been surprised had I looked down and seen her tear stains on the pages.

A great book but a even more remarkble debut one. Recommended.

Was this review helpful?