✍🏻 Elif Shafak 

☑️ Literary Fiction

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤.”

WOW. Absolutely remarkable!

Overview:

•Unique Storytelling

•Set in Istanbul 

•Found Family

•Humanity and Death

•Heavy Themes

𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗮 𝗟𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗮, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗱. 

I’ve read one Shafak book before, so I knew to expect a heartbreaking and exquisite tale, but with the added friendships and the unique format of this one? Incredible. 

The narrative is split into three parts: Mind, Body, and Soul. This allowed for a fully three-dimensional reading experience as we are immersed into vivid memories and the tragic present. 

𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚? 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚, 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩?

Shafak’s descriptive storytelling painted such clear images of these characters, their unique histories, and the complex beauty of Istanbul. 

Diving into Leila’s memories allowed us to see the very heart of her, and how horrifying moments and loyal friends have shaped her. Check TWs, if needed.

𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜.

One prevalent theme threaded through this story is how our family molds us, for better or for worse. All the decisions that Leila’s parents made directly impacted how she ended up in a brothel with a guilt-ridden soul. On the flip side, her bother provided some powerful insights and a deep well of love. 

𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙’𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧.

Water can sometimes be thicker than blood, and this group of friends formed the powerful heart of this story. All outcasts in their own right, it was a impactful reminder about the power of friendship and love. 

𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙝 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙩.

Leila and her friends encompassed the full spectrum of religious views, from complete reverence to atheism. Their discussions and internal conflicts provided so much depth to this complex layer of the world. 

𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙟𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙨𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙃𝙞𝙢.

I cannot review this book without talking about sex trafficking, which Shafak shines multiple spotlights on. Sometimes we can sit in our privilege, not realizing what is a still prevalent problem, and I will always appreciate this dose of reality. 

𝘽𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙢 – 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙥 𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 – 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚.

Shafak is not subtle either her reflections on humanity and society treats those whom are different, especially when it comes to death. I’m thankful for her precise, honest portrayal for the world needs more empathy and understanding. 

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙬, 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙, 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨.

Each time I’ve finished a book by this author, I’m immediately in a book hangover. These stories demand time to reflect and recover, and I am grateful to Shafak for bringing these powerful stories to the world - especially at the very real risk to herself. 

I recommend this book full heartedly. 

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