Secrets Under the Olive Tree

Secrets Under the Olive Tree
by Nevien Shaabneh
(404 pages)

Please note: we are having a very special Book Club event—author, Nevien Shaabneh will be joining us on Tuesday, June 9th at 6 p.m. We will be discussing her book, Secrets Under the Olive Tree. Location is Baisi Thai restaurant on the 6th floor of 900 North Michigan Avenue. Space is limited. RSVP at: http://goo.gl/forms/1WfpOQR9HH or paralegal@luc.edu

Layla Anwar is a young Palestinian born into a land plagued with war and an apartheid regime. She knows all too well what it means to be an outcast, second class in a country she calls home. But Layla is also an outsider within her village and family. Whispers surround her growing up... ones that mask the secrets her family has kept for generations.

Secrets and subjugation continue to plague Layla's adolescence and young adult life after the move to America, as the monsters of her past threaten to break the relationships she most cherishes. A lifetime of tragedy haunts her until she is forced to confront the truth and rectify the mistakes that have shaped her destiny. Layla uncovers the unholiest of secrets on her path to redemption as she discovers the truth of her family’s history.

Secrets Under the Olive Tree is a haunting, mesmerizing novel that touches on the depths of the human spirit and unbreakable bonds that transcend tragedy. It is a story about the power of hope, second chances, and faith in the midst of tribulation.