A Land of Permanent Goodbyes

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”

This quote is from American children’s television personality Fred Rogers, of the program “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.” It encapsulates one of the book’s primary messages—the significance and prevalence of helpers. As the book’s diverse cast of volunteers reveals, helpers come from all over the world and offer aid in many ways. Alexia later relays this quote to Tareq and, as he starts to identify helpers, Tareq finds humanity and hope. 

“I am not the reason why hearts can be so dark. I can’t even take credit for the ones who do good.”

The voice of Destiny, the book’s omniscient narrator, is introduced in a prologue-style passage preceding the book’s first chapter. Destiny debunks the commonly held idea that a human’s future is subject primarily to fate. Destiny notes that humans themselves often control the fates of other humans. Destiny cannot influence human actions, as this quote makes clear, and is not responsible for the good or the bad. This is both an empowering and frightening message: Tareq’s family will become victims due to no fault of their own.

“I truly cared for these people. They did everything right. They were making all the decisions that would lead them to the happy ending you all dream of. But unfortunately, it was the decisions made by those in their country—and those outside Syria—that brought them to this night…where I had to meet them again, on a hot summer evening in 2015, not in happiness but in sorrow. This is their story.”

Destiny introduces Tareq’s story with these words. This quote touches on a painful message of the book—namely, the idea that bad things happen to good people. Destiny remarks that