Many thanks to Netgalley, Penguin UK and Michael Joseph for my copy of this book. This was a powerful, moving and sometimes harrowing memoir of the author's story, from his Syrian childhood, the atrocities that the war brought to his homeland, through to his eventual escape to Germany to rebuild his life. Both tragic and ultimately uplifting, this was a great book.

If there's ever been a book that illustrates the immense power of music then this is it. What drew me to it, in particular, was the fact that I can personally attest to the strength and courage it can bring to your life, and I feel as though I may not have got this far through the chronic pain conditions I have without this power. One of my favourite writers and philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche once said: "Without music, life would be a mistake", and I believe that to be absolutely true.

Syrian-Palestinian pianist Aeham Ahmad became known after videos of him playing piano on the bombed out streets of his neighbourhood of Yarmouk near Damascus were posted on Youtube in 2013. Most of us will remember seeing it in the media, and boy was it a beacon of hope and a deeply profound moment when I smiled as people around me realised both the healing power of music and its ability to cross generations, cultures, religions and racial divides. His desire to try to help residents forget the traumatic situation they were in and to see the children smile again led to him pushing his old brown piano through the streets to entertain and give respite to the community, if only for a fleeting few minutes whilst the bombs stopped dropping.

Aeham Ahmad's journey through life has been tough; life in Syria was never easy but it became a whole new ball game when the civil war kicked in. This is the account of one man's quest to find peace in whatever way possible. It's a moving, heartfelt and compelling true tale. There are a number of these type of books that have emerged from Syrian survivors over the past few years, but I must admit this is one of the most affecting.

Desmond Tutu's words are particularly apt here: "Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." Mr Ahmad's strength to keep hope alive whilst facing the type of life-altering adversity most of us will never encounter shows his character, and although no-one should ever have to go through the devastating living conditions war brings, as always, the victory will be all the sweeter for Ahmad having had to struggle to achieve safety and success. Make no mistake, though, this is an often emotive, sometimes shocking but always captivating story, and one I'm likely to remember for a long time to come.

Many thanks to Penguin - Michael Joseph for an ARC.