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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
- one of my favorites so far from Shafak. Inventive storytelling through last moments of life reflection
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
We follow our main character Leila during her final minutes of consciousness after she is brutally murdered. In the first half of the book each chapter corresponds with one minute after her death and then some seconds, following her as she lives through some of her dearest and most personal memories for one last time.
We get to see her grow up through glimpses of time, we find out more about her as a person and her five best friends. In the second part of the book we mainly follow those five friends and how they deal with Leila's death so there's both a structural change throughout the book as well as a tonal change, which I think the author pulled off so well.
I immediately fell in love with all the characters and while the story is brutal (do check the trigger warnings before picking this up!!), it also felt realistic. We experience the lives of a group of outcasts specifically Istanbul in a very vivid manner. I immediately connected to the writing style, the city was almost a character of its own with how it was described, there's a lot of political and social commentary as well which blended smoothly into the story and I honestly couldn't predict the exact way this story would be tied up but I really liked the way it did.
We get to see her grow up through glimpses of time, we find out more about her as a person and her five best friends. In the second part of the book we mainly follow those five friends and how they deal with Leila's death so there's both a structural change throughout the book as well as a tonal change, which I think the author pulled off so well.
I immediately fell in love with all the characters and while the story is brutal (do check the trigger warnings before picking this up!!), it also felt realistic. We experience the lives of a group of outcasts specifically Istanbul in a very vivid manner. I immediately connected to the writing style, the city was almost a character of its own with how it was described, there's a lot of political and social commentary as well which blended smoothly into the story and I honestly couldn't predict the exact way this story would be tied up but I really liked the way it did.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Two sections, the first is the memories of a woman living in Turkey, from birth to death. The second is the events that happen after.
The characters are well developed and believable. Descriptions of places, food, and people are vivid. The writing is Booker worthy. It passes the Bechdel-Wallace Test. I really loved this book and don’t know what else to say. Just read it yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Racism, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Grief
Graphic sex work.
read this in 2 days coz i couldn't put it down even though it made me cry in public several times. so good
Even though everything that happens to the main character is bad, she just finds the good in bad and tries to help other people around her more than herself. And in the end, all the good you did in life will reach to you in a way and set you free without any worries.
adventurous
dark
emotional
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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:
No
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No