ALU Summer Book Club: Team Discussion, Where the Jasmine Blooms

Zeina Sleiman’s Where the Jasmine Blooms is a rich, beautifully observed debut novel about the ties that stretch across borders and generations. In this political historical thriller and Muslim feminist love story, Sleiman paints a vivid portrait of displacement and endurance, where the scent of jasmine, or a tradition can bridge the distance between past and present. When its central character Yasmine goes to Lebanon seeking the family, culture, and connection that her Palestinian mother hid during their life in Toronto, she finds herself embarking on a mission, along with her cousin Reem, to uncover a long-held family secret. Where the Jasmine Blooms is a heartfelt exploration of identity, resilience, and the enduring presence of the past.

Buy your own copy here on All Lit Up for 15% off (or find a copy from your local indie using our Shop Local finder).

Read on for our team discussion.

Where the Jasmine Blooms is told through the two cousins’ perspectives: Yasmine and Reem. What did you notice was similar and different about these two women, and which one did you identify with most? Did that change, as the story went on?

Tan: Both women drew on inner strength, Yasmine was more outwardly independent to start, but Reem has quiet strength and learns to trust herself. Both are very self-sufficient, and put the welfare of their family and loved ones very high.

I like that the characters recognize their mothers’ influence on each woman, and how similar the sisters were. I also like that the cousins come to recognize their bond and each other’s strength.

I think it was easier to identify with Yasmine, her life in academia and desire to connect with her family and history. I recognize Reem’s desire for independence and her stepping-up in her family, but it’s difficult to imagine the struggles of living in a refugee camp my whole life.

Colleen: Both Yasmine and Reem struggle with guilt, familial pressures, and generational trauma, but they navigate these challenges in very different ways. Reem feels burdened by the responsibility of supporting her family and struggles to live for herself without feeling she is abandoning them. Her sense of duty is deeply rooted in her culture, which amplifies her feelings of guilt and obligation. Yasmine, on the other hand, is trying to free herself from the expectation of “living for others,” but she lacks a clear sense of self or identity. Her inner turmoil stems from being disconnected from her cultural roots, leaving her feeling lost and uncertain about her place in the world. I found Yasmine’s experience initially compelling, but as the story progressed and I learned more about the novel’s unique historical setting and circumstances, I began to understand and empathize deeply with Reem’s experience and her journey to independence and freedom for both herself and her loved ones. 

Laura: Despite their different material circumstances–Reem with constrained educational and life opportunities, Yasmine seemingly with more choices–the women share many experiences. Both are devalued by some family members and society, because they are women; both are outspoken in ways that set them apart from friends and family; and both are dealing with the absence of close male relatives caught up in mysterious political circumstances. I identified with Yasmine at first and increasingly, with Reem, who more accurately assesses the power dynamics at play.

Lauren: Just to add, as an aside, how well Zeina Sleiman wrote of the bond between Yasmine and Reem, even though continents, time, and experiences kept them apart. I have a similar relationship with a beloved cousin who, for a time, lived on the opposite side of the earth: I know what that distance is like and also, how it truly makes the heart grow fonder. The lighter moments of the novel where the two women are joking around and supporting each other really hit home.

What struck you about how Where the Jasmine Blooms speaks to different diasporic experiences? Reem’s experiences as a refugee, Yasmine’s as an immigrant, and Ziyad as a person split between two (really, many) cultures?

Tan: I did not know much about Lebanon before this novel. It’s interesting to see the different characters navigate social hierarchies, custom and expectation. To misunderstand each other’s motivations because of their unique perspectives, but to come to value their differences. 

I noticed the men living in the diaspora lacked roots within the Lebanese community, didn’t speak the language (or were just learning) and yet they held or expected to hold respect within the community. 

Mandy: I thought the novel powerfully contrasted Reem’s experience as a refugee, grounded in trauma, with Yasmine’s immigrant journey in which she is disconnected from her foundational culture. Reem and Yasmine come from very different worlds and each seems to idealize the other’s lived experience. I feel that Ziyad’s struggle isn’t about displacement or distance alone, but about negotiating a multifaceted identity that pulls him in different directions, which shows how layered and fluid diasporic identity can be. The different perspectives really highlight that there is no single “diaspora experience” but a spectrum of experiences shaped by history and personal trauma. 

Colleen: The novel highlights how diaspora can be both a collective and intensely personal experience. While large groups of people are separated from their homelands and cultures, each individual experiences diaspora in a completely unique way. Reem, Yasmine, and Ziyad all share the experience of diaspora, yet their journeys are so distinct that they are almost incomparable. The novel beautifully illustrates the diversity and complexity of diasporic life, showing that even shared displacement can create vastly different emotional landscapes and hurdles.

Laura: This is something I loved about the book: it illuminates variations of experience when people are displaced or choose to migrate. And those movements ripple throughout the diaspora and back into the origin country, where those who left now may no longer fit in. It’s a nuanced account that pushes back against the flattened narratives in our media coverage and political discourse.

Barb: I found this really interesting, in that both Reem and Yasmine were so desirous of one another’s situations. I don’t mean envious, I didn’t feel that exactly, just the longing for connection versus opportunity they saw one another having.

This book manages to be three things at once: a (recent) historical novel, a political thriller, and a romance. Which element or elements of the novel drew you in the most?

Tan: I enjoyed all three aspects of the story, and felt there was a good balance between them. I appreciated the glimpse into Lebanese history and culture, the mystery of her father’s disappearance was a great side story, and I liked how the romantic tension was there all along, without being the focus or even the main culmination of the book. 

Mandy: This novel was a nice balance of these different elements. I really got a sense of place and of yearning to understand one’s culture after being disconnected from it in the ways Yasmine has been. The portrayal of Palestinians is heartfelt, capturing the struggle of clinging to a homeland that now lives mostly in memory. I appreciated how the story wove in political history (Nakba, occupation, and displacement) presenting them not as distant events, but as ongoing realities shaping each generation.

Colleen: For me, the historical and political thriller elements were the most compelling! The historical aspect brought readers into a pivotal moment in Lebanon’s recent history, making it feel immediate and relevant to our world today. The political thriller elements added mystery and intrigue, giving readers a sense of discovery and suspense as the story unfolded. Together, these aspects made the novel both educational and thrilling, blending historical insight with the excitement of uncovering secrets. 

Laura: For me, it’s always politics. And I appreciate the way the author shows history informing present-day action in this book.

Barb: I really appreciated the history lesson here, and my understanding and knowledge (very lacking) of refugee camps has increased tenfold. The political aspects were disheartening as they’ve just gotten worse with time.

In our interview with Zeina Sleiman, the author, she said: “For many Arabs, Lebanon is the oasis of the region with its beautiful beaches and mountains. It’s also a very rich and diverse society, with a mixture of Islamic and Christian communities. It has a deep cultural life with music and art, a free press, one of the best post-secondary sectors in the region, and it’s also relatively free in comparison to its neighbouring countries.” Zeina writes so lovingly of Lebanon and all it has to offer in the book: what descriptions of food or setting stuck with you while reading?

Tan: The food sounds so good, and you can clearly picture the beautiful landscape and seaside.

Colleen: Sleiman does an incredible job of transporting readers into her novel’s world through rich and visceral descriptions of Lebanon, its culture, and its food. I found the scenes where Yasmine was welcomed into the homes of family strangers to be the most impactful because, no matter whose home she was in, she was treated with the same warmth, hospitality, and kindness. These moments captured the generosity, compassion, and resilience of the Lebanese/ Palestinian people, who, despite being displaced, continue to share their culture and kindness with others.

Barb: I come from a book club that makes a meal based on the food in the book, and the mouth-watering descriptions of all the Lebanese food make this a perfect pick. As well, the mesmerizing descriptions of the seaside and the hotel made me wish I could visit this lush and beautiful country.

Lauren: Lebanon has always been a place I’ve wanted to visit, and the descriptions of the setting – seaside, plantlife, incredible architecture – and food in the book have only intensified this feeling!

It’s difficult and horrifying to see history repeating itself in the present day, with continued Israeli attacks on Gaza and on Lebanon, when contrasted with the historical events in this book, set during the 2006 Lebanon War. While this is fiction, did you learn from the novel about this extended conflict? What did it teach you?

Tan: This book is heartbreaking in places, especially when the characters are caught up in the conflict. To see how quickly conflict can change the rules of a society. The lived experiences and the implications of displacement and violence feel real for these characters, and makes real what is happening in the Middle East today.

Mandy: The novel deepened my understanding of the long arc of this conflict; it pulled it out of the realm of headlines and stats and into the lives of individual people. It solidified an emotional truth too: that for those living it, the past is never really past, and each new wave of violence reopens wounds that were never allowed to heal.

Barb: I do not see government corruption ending, only getting worse and more wide-spread, leading to more wars and conflict. While I learned a lot from this book, I don’t see a way ahead of preserving the beauty of these ancient places, nor how to help the people within.

Colleen: Reading this novel was both timely and sobering. It offered a new perspective on this extended conflict, lending an insider’s perspective that fostered a deeper empathy for those impacted. The book made it clear how dispersed communities face ongoing struggles and trauma, with little respite or clear solutions in sight. It highlighted the cyclical nature of conflict and the enduring resilience of people who continue to navigate violence, loss, and displacement, helping me understand the real, human cost beyond headlines and historical accounts.

Laura: Not a new lesson, but here, as elsewhere, we see the destructive impacts of various colonial enterprises continuing through generations.

* * *

Download our book club discussion questions for your own book club!

* * *

Get Where the Jasmine Blooms for your own book club here on All Lit Up for 15% off with the code INTHECLUB2025, all summer long.

Keep on top of all summer book club happenings here.