Guard Thy Heart

The newest French novel from acclaimed European author Siwar al-Assad now available to English readers for the first time!


What should you do when love goes astray? Should you hang on and hope for the best, while secretly mourning your cooling heart? Or should you shake up your life in the hope of ending the spark of true love?


Such is the dilemma facing Paul Ollenson, a UN lawyer for Human Rights. Set against the rich and verdant background of the summertime countryside in Provence, Guard Thy Heart takes readers along with Paul as he faces tragedy and experiences a resurrection of love in the depth of his soul. We struggle with Paul as he endures an emotional internal battle between Good and Evil, and faces the far-reaching consequences of the heart transplant that saved his life as a teenager.


Rendered in shimmering details Guard Thy Heart brings the beauty of Southern France to life as it sweeps the reader into the whirlwind of Paul’s turbulent heart, and weaves an emotionally compelling tale of love, loss, and the importance of searching for one’s true self.


“A beating heart is such a remarkable thing; people ought to stop and relish each individual beat. Regardless of the circumstances, it should never become a force of hate and radicalism.”

-Siwar al-Assad


About the author:

Siwar al-Assad was born in in Syria and immigrated to Europe at age nine, where he studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, as well as in Switzerland and Great Britain. Siwar is fluent in Arabic, English, French and Spanish. He has authored several books and lives with his family in London.