The Apricot Tree

Selected for The Immigrant Writing Series, The Apricot Tree welcomes us into a world of linked stories surrounding a group of immigrants from different countries who find themselves in the same Arab neighborhood of Bay Ridge. At the center is Busyana, who arrives from Egypt at an older age and settles into a new life in her Brooklyn, NY community. Busyana's encounters with her new neighbors lead to personal transformations as each person whose life she has touched continues on their journey.

One by one, each immigrant tells their own story: Adnan, a Palestinian server at the local bakery who has recently arrived from Gaza; Dina, Busyana's niece who struggles with her sense of identity; Masud, Busyana's brother who remains in an unhappy marriage; Dominykas, a Lithuanian man who lost his wife; and Anhur, a young Chinese girl who searches for a sense of belonging. Through her compelling storytelling, Pauline Kaldas invites us to live with these characters as they carry the weight of their lost homes and attempt to make a new life.