Ignore the overblown title and the publisher’s rush to get this book out quickly following Syria’s December 2024 revolution; its charm and power lie in evoking nearly 55 years of life under the Assads, father and son, 1970-2024. Although a Syrian herself and knowledgeable about the country from the inside, the author’s sensibilities are those of a liberal Westerner (English is her first language). Calling herself “a Syrian-born writer, a policy and diplomacy adviser, and a communications strategist,” Allaf captures the ironic, futile, brutal, and nonsensical nature of the Assad era better than anyone else this reviewer has read.

One anecdote exemplifies her content and style: Invited by a cousin working at the Central Bank of Syria “to look around and meet some of the colleagues,” Allaf engaged them in extended small talk about their respective families’ health. Then, “one of them noted it was getting late [in the morning] and we were probably all hungry,” so the central bankers pushed files aside, “lined up a couple of chopping boards and plates, and unpacked the ingredients for the tabbouleh.” Next, they pulled out “finely chopped parsley, spring onions, and tomatoes … being mixed with pre-soaked fine burghul, seasoned, and drizzled with virgin olive oil and lemon juice.” When the supervisor walked in, he joined the jolly event. Allaf reflects on this “monstrous public sector machine that existed for its own sake, that dragged productivity and efficiency to the ground, that frustrated and drained citizens who had to deal with the hell that was Baathist bureaucracy.”

Allaf then addresses the civil war that led to the regime’s overthrow and follows these developments competently; but it is her coverage of the Assad era that gives It Started in Damascus its special quality.