Did the response from the readers match your expectations from the book?

Yes and no. I think I’m reaching the same audiences as The Kite Runner. I’m reaching people who just like a good story and who aren’t necessarily interested in the conflict. I have been shocked to have as many Israeli supporters as I have seen. A review in the Times of Israel said, “Although possibly difficult for Israelis and Jews everywhere to read, The Almond Tree should be required reading for all as when there is understanding of the other side, peace can be achieved.” The vast majority of Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims as well as Jewish readers have given me very positive feedback. 
I was shocked at one Palestinian American novelist who attacked my book and me claiming I was basically a racist criminal who distorted Palestinian legacy. She, however, thought I was writing about the Palestinians from the West Bank. For more than the first hundred pages, my book is about my protagonist’s village being under Israeli martial law until 1966. Israel didn’t even occupy the West Bank until 1967. There is no way that my book could be about a Palestinian from the West Bank. She claimed I stole Palestinian narrative because I wrote historical fiction which of course is a literary genre. She lived in East Jerusalem for 6th and 7th grade and then in foster care in the US from the age of thirteen on. She still lives in the US. I was shocked by her false accusations as were other Palestinians who read my book and know me especially in light of the fact that articles in major publications such as the Huffington Post claim The Almond Tree could be a game changer.