Reviews with content warning for Deadnaming - 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

What a beautifully written, stunning book. I loved the structure of the novel, with Leila remembering her friends and how they all met, and then the second half being her friends coming together. The idea that, after you die, you're still remembering and piecing your life together - I loved it.

Content Warnings

manasvini's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

What I liked:
The concept, the narrative, the cast of diverse characters and stories, the vivid and immersive descriptions of Istanbul

What I disliked:
The sheer amount of trauma, which almost started feeling like sensationalism, especially when accompanied with little to no reflection on it. (I wish I had read the trigger warnings before hand.) How much the first part slogged in comparison to the second and third parts.

It was a good read but does not make me motivated to read other works by Shafak.

Content Warnings

filo's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

rashi's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

A challenging read into the very real depictions of what life can be when you exist in spaces not made for you. The content was very heavy and I very much appreciated the rawness and realness, without it being toooo trauma-dumpy (although it was, just a little). The characters were diverse and beautiful, but somehow my heart wasn’t totally in it at the time, maybe I’ll have to give it another go down the line.

Content Warnings

annimsal's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Synkkää, surullista - niin kuin voi odottaa, kun tarina koostuu murhatun päähenkilön viimeisistä muistoista ennen tajunnan sammumista - mutta myös toiveikasta. Tarinatyyppi, joka on yksi suosikkejani: se, kuinka marginalisoidut, yhteiskunnan ja perheensä hylkäämät ja halveksumat löytävät toisensa ja muodostavat uuden, verisukua tärkeämmän perheen. Bonus: opin paljon Turkin lähihistoriasta ja yhteiskunnallisista ongelmista.

Content Warnings

reb_reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World ⌛️
🌟🌟🌟🌟
-
⏳ The plot: Our main character is Leila. Vibrant, defiant, vital; after being rejected by her family she flees to Istanbul where she makes a living as a sex worker, gathering a disparate group of friends around her to become a second family. She is murdered on the first page. The rest of the novel traces her thoughts in the 10 minutes and 38 seconds after her heart stops beating, and her friends’ efforts to put her peacefully to rest.
-
This is a bookstagram favourite and I can certainly see why. From the first page the writing is amazing - there were so many phrases that I underlined or starred because they seemed so peculiar and true. You come to care deeply about each of the characters, and the structure the book is told in is intriguing and compels you forward. Honestly I think it’s really remarkable.
-
That said, I would love to read some reviews from any trans readers who picked this up - one of the best characters in the whole thing is Nalan, a trans woman who is one of the band of friends that rally around Leila in Istanbul. Leila meets Nalan before she starts transitioning, and at this point he/him pronouns are used. This makes sense in the context of their meeting, but then there’s one part in the second half of the novel where he/him pronouns were used to refer to Nalan that I just found jarring, to the extent that I wonder if it’s a typo! If anyone has read any reviews from trans readers that deal with this aspect of the novel I would love to read them.
-
🌊 Read it if you love stories about deep friendships, and omnipotent narration that gives you a bird’s eye view of a story.
-
🚫 Avoid it if you’re avoiding stories that include sexual assault, paedophilia, transphobia, violence, and grief. I’d really recommend looking up content warnings for this one if you’re in any doubt about it!

Content Warnings

More...