The Crossing documents [Yazbek’s] three return visits to Syria between 2012 and 2013. This was a period during which the Syrian people were desperately fighting for survival, both against the Assad regime and the brutal and unforgiving force of emerging Jihadist groups.

This book is brave, moving and devastating. Yazbek’s simple prose and structure points the reader to the centre of the text: the Syrian people. She is simultaneously one of them and detached from them, recounting stories and experiences with brilliant honesty and devotion.

For Yazbek, writing is her weapon, and defiance and dedication leaps out of every paragraph. The Crossing is not for the faint-hearted reader. It is, however, both incredibly relevant and increasingly important.