"A must read"

What an incredible read this was. A beautiful love story but mixed with details of the unimaginable horrors faced by poor innocent victims stuck in a hell on earth.
It has also been an education in the intricacies of the politics behind the regimes, different beliefs etc, we see coverage on the news, but it's never fully explained.
So beautifully written, I was transported to that place, the smells, the scene setting, tiny details.
A must read, and with proceeds very generously going to a great cause.

“A beautifully written love story set in the war torn Syria of today."

"Without Borders" is a beautifully written love story set in the war torn Syria of today. It brings to life the truly horrendous situation in Syria where there is unbelievable suffering, pain, fear and loss mirrored with incredible acts of bravery, kindness and love. Its a must read book. There is no excuse to not understand the situation in Syria once you have read it and its story must be told.

"A fast, exciting, heart pumping (and heart breaking) ride."

I was shocked by how much I enjoyed reading this book. This is not a book that I would typically pick up, but something about it caught my eye. I do have an interest in learning more about the Civil war in Syria and I've been researching the Syrian refugee crisis for the last few years. With that being said, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stomach this book or even begin to understand the atrocious cruelties that these people were facing. I really give Susanna Burge a lot of credit for being able to transform such a dark subject into an inspiring, educational, and even romantic story. Through out Ana's (the heroine) journey in and out of Syria, we are introduced to a ton of different characters who are all so dynamic and colorful, I literally felt as if they were jumping off of the page. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it quite quickly. It was such a fast, exciting, heart pumping (and heart breaking) ride.

“An Absolutely amazing book …”

Without Borders: Syria, a book you wouldn't want to leave! An absolutely amazing book written by Susanne Burge which reflects the reality in Syria and the brutality of the crisis. Without borders played with my heart strings, from the initial attachment to Rahim to Ana's whole journey in Syria. The way Ana has been described, her emotions, the emotional turmoil she undergoes in seeing the misery of Syrian people, reader, you'll yourself undergo that emotional journey and will get hooked. Kudos to the author!

"Expose of everyday atrocities which pass for normal life in Syria."

This is an important book in which the reader is artfully led, by way of a romantic storyline, to a detailed and unnerving understanding, not achieved by years of exposure to news headlines, of the machinery of evil underpinning the Assad regime. In years to come, when we berate ourselves for our lack of a countervailing political response, we must not then plead ignorance of these everyday atrocities comprising this genocidal war because, in reading this book, we cannot not have been aware. Read, learn,vote .

"Without borders was a great read about something that needs far more publicity and recognition."

Although it took me a while to get into it once hooked I was intent to follow the various stories of the characters and to know what happened to them. Working with children on a daily basis and having done some disaster relief, they are remarkably resilient and robust in many ways but are still children with the usual needs. The reality of the harshness and uncertainty of life in Syria needs to be known and understood so that hopefully appropriate interventions can be made, and this book helps bring home what is happening to the ordinary families on the street which could easily be us.

"The book has all the ingredient of a great book."

"Without Borders" is a book set in the middle of what is arguably, the biggest refugee camp; Za'a tari following the displacement of Syrians from their homeland into Jordan.
The book has all the ingredient of a great book as it has romance , mystery, suspense, humour, mischief, danger (subtle and overt) and of course the heroine; Ana who gives of herself and her energy selflessly for the care of others who are in desperate need. There is Kai who probably fancies her, there is the Don who gets everything that he wants and there are others too. There is the unlikely hero in Rahim who for the love of his younger brother Foued, risked life and limbs to go and rescue him. The best was left to the last when the heroine Anais (Ana) meets the love of her life in Caleb who has a colourful past which creates a hunger in the reader to want to keep reading the book. The book has managed to blend history and politics with religion in a very subtle way. "Without Borders" is both inspirational and educational without being patronising. Definitely, an excellent read!

“Moving and thought provoking.”

I hope that many people read this wonderful novel and are as deeply affected by it as I was. On the whole I am the lazy, 'escapist' type of reader, typical of many, with a tendency to avoid storylines tackling uncomfortable topical situations or complicated political crises. However, as I turned the pages of Without Borders I rapidly became engrossed in this captivating love story. The narrative which is informative as well as moving, enhanced my awareness and understanding of the plight of the people of Syria and as I began to identify with some of the characters, I felt a strong empathy towards the real families, no different to my own, with heartbreaking true stories like this to tell.

“Compelling story”

Without Borders is a story that must be told and read, based on actual facts and narrated through a western aid worker Anna, which makes the ongoing disaster in Syria very real. It gives a solid background of past and more recent history interwoven with the storyline. Anna's personal story makes the book all the more human, though the suffering very tangible. Where I would not normally be attracted to stories about war -torn countries I am very glad I read Without Borders as it gave me a wealth of insight in the war in Syria and the motivation to be more proactive in alleviating the suffering. This is happening on our doorstep, at this moment, and human input from a heart centered motivation like Anna's is invaluable.
2nd May 2017

Thank you so much for sending your work to me - I thought it was a significant and momentous novel and I enjoyed reading it so much.

This is an extraordinary story of human courage and love. It read emotionally and authentically, and I think there is
a clear need and market for this sort of international fiction. It reminded me of the narratives established by The Honourable Woman, and The English Patient, and it would sit alongside commercial fiction like The Kite Runner and Half of a Yellow Sun. It is delicate, yet forceful, traumatic, yet redemptive. You are to be congratulated on it.

In terms of genre, I would call this book club fiction - basically a crossover between literary (in terms of subject) and commercial (in terms of narrative). I think it is an incredibly important story - it should be published, and available to readers, as I found it very moving and also informative (but not in a didactic way).