Chapter 35 Summary and Analysis – As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Five soldiers storm the hospital, immediately executing a little girl and her mother. Salama and Kenan freeze, then Kenan tries to shield her and tells her to remove her lab coat to avoid being targeted as a rebel pharmacist. Salama sees a frightened girl about to be assaulted; she throws a basin to distract the soldier. The soldier pins her against the wall, hits her with his rifle, and begins to assault her while Kenan is held and beaten. Salama headbutts the soldier, who then slits her throat. Dr. Ziad arrives with Free Syrian Army soldiers, subduing the attackers and saving Salama. She wakes up bandaged in the office; Kenan is beside her, bruised but alive. They embrace, Kenan confesses his love, and they share intimate dreams of a future in Berlin, including his fantasy of drawing her at the Brandenburg Gate and her own childhood stories inspired by Studio Ghibli.
Key Events
- Soldiers burst into the hospital, kill a child and her mother.
- Salama throws a basin to stop a soldier from harming another little girl.
- The soldier assaults Salama while Kenan is restrained and beaten.
- Salama headbutts the soldier, who then cuts her throat.
- Dr. Ziad and FSA soldiers rescue Salama; the two perpetrators are killed.
- Salama wakes up in the office, bandaged; Kenan has minor concussion and stitches.
- Kenan tells Salama “I love you” and describes his dream of drawing her in Berlin.
- Salama shares her childhood inspiration from Spirited Away and her unwritten stories.
- The chapter ends with their tender conversation and a kiss.
Character Development
Salama acts on pure instinct, sacrificing her safety to protect a stranger child. Her defiance—spitting, headbutting, refusing to submit—shows a fierce will to survive. After the trauma, she allows herself to be vulnerable with Kenan, accepting love and dreaming of a normal future. Her question “Tell me something good” reflects a deliberate effort to hold onto hope.
Kenan is initially protective but helpless against the soldiers. His shouts and struggles demonstrate his desperation. After the crisis, his relief is raw; he weeps and prays “Bury me before I bury you.” His confession of love and his detailed fantasy of Berlin reveal his own need for hope and a life beyond war.
Dr. Ziad acts decisively, slipping out to call the FSA, whose intervention saves Salama.
Khawf (Salama’s hallucination) briefly encourages her to fight, showing his role as a grim motivator.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Courage and Defiance: Salama’s impulsive act of throwing the basin and her refusal to cower embody resistance against dehumanization.
- The Fragility of Life: The arbitrary violence of the soldiers—killing a child, slitting Salama’s throat—underscores how easily lives are extinguished.
- Love as Refuge: In the aftermath, Kenan and Salama build a sanctuary of shared hopes and tenderness, using imagination to escape their present horror.
- Dreams of a Normal Life: The Berlin fantasy and the mention of Studio Ghibli represent the psychological need for peace, creativity, and a future outside war.
- Souls and Pre-existence: Kenan’s idea that their souls met before birth echoes Islamic belief and provides a spiritual comfort against loss.
Why This Chapter Matters
This is a pivotal turning point. Salama survives a direct, intimate attack—the closest she has come to death. The experience shatters any remaining illusion of safety and forces her to confront her own mortality and her will to live. The rescue solidifies the FSA as a protective force. Most significantly, the chapter removes the emotional barrier between Salama and Kenan; their open declarations of love and their shared vision of Berlin mark a commitment to each other and to a future beyond Homs. The chapter balances extreme violence with tender intimacy, highlighting the novel’s central tension between trauma and hope.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Salama throw the basin at the soldier when Kenan told her to stay hidden? She sees a terrified little girl about to be assaulted and cannot stand by. Her action is instinctive empathy; she chooses to sacrifice herself to spare the child. This mirrors her earlier decisions to help others despite personal risk and shows that her courage is rooted in compassion.
2. How does Kenan’s reaction to Salama’s near-death change his character? He is stripped of his usual composure; he weeps, prays, and admits his helplessness. His confession “I can’t bury you” reveals his deep emotional attachment and vulnerability. This moment cements his role as a partner who is fully invested in her survival, not merely a fellow fighter.
3. What role does the dream of Berlin play in this chapter? The Berlin fantasy functions as a shared hope that counters the trauma. Kenan’s detailed image of drawing Salama at the Brandenburg Gate and her vision of picking carnations allow them to mentally escape the war. It reinforces the theme that love and imagination can provide psychological resilience.