The Bastard of Istanbul

In a somewhat similar manner to Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul, The Bastard of Istanbul, shows interesting aspects of this city and the way of living of its citizens. Readers can also learn how the Young Turks movement tried to exterminate Armenians in 1915. It is not disclosed, however, where these motives came from. I really enjoyed how the vast amount of Turkish dishes the Kazanci sisters prepared or cooked was described. I would have liked, on the other hand, these somewhat complicated Turkish dishes names would have been translated into English, or at least, the author should have made a quick description of the dishes content, as she did with the "ashure" dessert, which seems to be delicious. For those readers interested in Turkey and, for that matter, in Istanbul, I highly recommend this novel with its very uncommon and original plot.

It is hard to understand the history if you cannot travel to that age with pages you read. Elif Safak creates a wonderful story reflecting the feelings of different people from different nations, how they feel about each other and how misunderstandings and love blossoms and especially how they are closely mixed with each other through generations of living togather and marriages, in an atmosphere sometimes enriched with unnatural things. Thanks for the wonderful book Safak.

Any review of Elif Shafak's latest novel, THE BASTARD OF ISTANBUL, is sure to mention the surrounding controversy. When the book was published last year in Turkey, Shafak ended up facing a prison sentence because of what her fictional characters say about the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire, a tragedy not officially recognized by the Turkish government. This drama could overshadow the book itself, but instead it should contribute to the poignancy of the story. The titular bastard is Asya Kazanci, a young woman living in Istanbul in a house of eccentric and loving women. Asya is rebellious, even though her "aunties" are fairly tolerant. She is obsessed with the music of Johnny Cash, smokes cigarettes behind her family's back, and ditches the ballet lessons they pay for so that she can sit and drink in a cafe with a bunch of world-weary existentialists. Asya's rebellion is inherited from her mother, the stunning "auntie" Zeliha who had Asya when she was just 19 and now runs a tattoo parlor catering to the artistic and secular of Istanbul. Shafak suggests that Asya's rebellion is part of being an Istanbulite, and the city itself is a major character in the novel. Zeliha has never revealed the name of Asya's father, and much of Asya's identity is tied up in her being a "bastard." But her identity as a woman, as a Turk and as a daughter of Istanbul will be challenged when a bold Armenian American woman arrives on her doorstep. Armanoush Tchakhmakhchian is a college student in Arizona. Raised between her Armenian family in San Francisco and her mother and Turkish stepfather in Tucson, she, like Asya, struggles with identity. She feels deeply connected to her Armenian ancestry and is often ashamed of the fact that her mother married a Turk, Mustafa, after she and Armanoush's father divorced. She decides that a trip to Istanbul, to explore her family's past and to reconcile her feelings for Turkey, will allow her to move on with her life and sort through some of her confusion. She decides to stay with Mustafa's family in Istanbul, and Mustafa's niece happens to be Asya. When Asya and Armanoush meet, they each begin to sort out their personal, national and ethnic identities, and uncover several family secrets. THE BASTARD OF ISTANBUL is both funny and sad. Shafak's prose, although sometimes heavy-handed, conveys the spirit of both young women and the city that connects them. Readers feel for the characters who, often kooky, seem quite real (and mostly likable). The violence against the Armenians is addressed with respect and without being preachy. It is only sentences such as this that can slow the story down: "If there is an eye in the seventh sky, a Celestial Gaze watching each and every one from way up high, He would have had to keep Istanbul under surveillance for quite some time to get a sense of who did what behind closed doors and who, if any, uttered profanities." Shafak nicely blends realism with a touch of the supernatural an

The Bastard of Istanbul is not just an entertaining story. It is an engaging and enriching work of literature. Each chapter is named for an ingredient in a symbolic Turkish recipe. Each ingredient is cleverly worked into the storyline. One family is described as being out of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel. A critical character is described as making "a good Dostoyevsky character." This is a story of bold, passionate, and often eccentric women contending with the forces of tradition, modernity, and the supernatural. You are drawn into a world of exotic customs and mouth-watering foods. It held my interest through to the end of the surprising and satisfying final chapter. This is the best novel I've read in years.

I must admit I do not read fiction that often but after having read this book recently, I must revisit this. Simply put, a beautiful book. I heard Shafak's interview on NPR with Terry Gross and found her comments engrossing so that I decided to buy the book. The structure of the book is the Armenian genoicide and role of memory, past, present and future and the different roles they play in Turkish and Armenian society. More than this, the travels through to the US and back, relate a sense of flightlessness which helps shape the feelings of identity. The look inside at the relationships among Turkish women is conveyed in a delightful manner. The intergenerational relationships and ties are also brilliantly expressed. A must read, a really, really beautiful book.