Ashraf Zaghal 

Sometimes you walk two steps and find yourself
two alleys away, two gates away,
two hills away, two seas away,
two continents away,
or seven heavens away.

In this taut and heartbreaking debut novel, a Palestinian teenager comes of age amid escalating violence in Jerusalem. After their friend Hassan is killed by an Israeli, Aziz and Mustafa are shaken to their core, drawn into the orbit of Hassan's father—a respected community leader known for his charity and fiery speeches—as they grapple with grief, guilt, and an uncertain future. As Aziz's forbidden feelings for Dafna, a Jewish girl, deepen and his mother searches for a way to secure his safety, he's forced to confront painful truths about loss, survival, and what it means to find hope amid the ruins.