The Refugee Ocean by Pauls Toutonghi

The Refugee Ocean by Pauls Toutonghi – 352 pages

ARC Simon and Schuster books and Netgalley for an honest review

Book Blurb:

Born in Beirut in 1922, Marguerite Toutoungi lives a life of loss and sacrifice. She dreams of traveling to Europe and studying music at the Conservatoire de Paris but her family—and her society—hold her back. When she meets the son of a Cuban tobacco farmer at a formal dance, love transforms her life. Together with him, she flees across the Pacific Ocean. She’s hoping for a new beginning. Instead, she finds revolution and chaos. Over fifty years later, Naïm Rahil is a teenage refugee from Aleppo, Syria. A former piano prodigy who struggles to thrive in America—and who has lost part of his hand in the war—he dreams of a simple, normal life.

My Review: 3.5 stars

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The Refugee Ocean by Pauls Toutonghi is a dual timeline story that features two separate immigration stories that are connected through music. This one begins in both Syria and Lebanon, with two characters about to embark on new, yet extremely difficult journeys.  

Writing two different timelines in two different time periods in two different countries could not be an easy feat for the author, and trust me, there were times where I wondered where he was going with the story. Luckily, you’re in good hands as all the puzzle pieces of Naïm and Marguerite’s storylines come together. The commonality that brings them together is somewhat predictable, but I can assure there were also some twists that surprised me.

This book really opened my eyes to life in an evacuee center, and the arduous plight of immigration. The ending was satisfying but perhaps a bit rushed.

Quotes I liked:

She knew obedience was a virtue, but – obedience to what?”

“Because what part of the music was music? And what part of the music was love?”