The novel "Returning to Aleppo" is, in its essence, a cry against the extremism, injustice, tyranny, and killing that have plagued Syrian lands since the popular uprising for change began. It tells the story of a Syrian journalist who returns from exile to continue his documentary on the nation's multi-faceted war. He is drawn into a whirlwind of events with a powerfully woven narrative, traveling through Aleppo to document the Al-Lataminah massacre in the northern Hama countryside—a region that witnessed horrific massacres in 1982. The past resurfaces through characters who use religion as a cloak for immoral and inhumane acts. Events lead him into the headquarters of the Al-Nusra Front, where he witnesses pledges of murder before escaping through the historic Citadel of Aleppo. He then falls captive to the ruling regime's forces, enduring a series of tortures and witnessing scenes where death is ever-present. Through the eyes of a witness, he recounts the story of a people's revolution for freedom and dignity, met only with bullets and fire. The novel concludes with a chemical attack on the Hama military airport prison, an event the author eerily predicted before its actual occurrence in Eastern Ghouta. "Returning to Aleppo" is a resounding stand against extremism, oppression, corruption, and the violation of humanity. It is a victory for the oppressed, the subjugated, and the silenced in a land that sends hundreds of martyrs to the sky with each new dawn.

• Author: Abdullah Maksour
• Publisher: Fadaat Publishing
• Year of Publication: 2014
• Number of Pages: 208
• Category: Novel