What Strange Paradise

A little island's shores have seen the washing up of further bodies. The weight of its excessive number of passengers—Syrians, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Lebanese, and Palestinians—who were all trying to flee their unlivable conditions back home has caused another overcrowded, unkempt, and run-down ship to capsize. Thankfully, Amir, a nine-year-old Syrian boy, has made it through the ordeal and is shortly saved by Vanna. Even though she was born on the island, Vanna, an adolescent girl, feels homeless in a place and among people she has learned to despise. Despite the fact that Vanna and Amir are total strangers and do not speak the same language, Vanna is committed to going to whatever lengths to save the youngster.

We follow Amir and the girl as they head toward safety while also learning about his life and how he ended up aboard the boat in alternate chapters. In What Strange Paradise, two kids must navigate a dangerous environment on their own. It also tells the story of hope and despair, empathy and indifference, and how each of those emotions may make us lose sight of reality.