Layla Anwar is a young Palestinian born into a land plagued with an apartheid regime. She knows all too well what it means to be an outcast in a country she calls home. Layla is also an outsider within her village and family. Whispers surround her growing up ones that mask the secrets her family has kept for generations. Secrets continue to plague Layla's adolescence and young adult life after the move to America as the monsters of her past threaten to break the relationships she most cherishes. Layla uncovers the unholiest of secrets on her path to redemption and discovers the truth of her family's history.

Secrets Under the Olive Tree is a haunting mesmerizing novel that touches on the depths of the human spirit and the unbreakable bonds that transcend tragedy. It is a story about the power of hope and second chances in the midst of life-altering tribulations.

Nevien Shaabneh is an Arab-American writer teacher and speaker. Shaabneh graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a bachelor's in English Education and from Saint Xavier with a Masters in Arts. She resides in the Chicago metropolitan area with her husband and three kids. Secrets Under the Olive Tree is her debut novel.