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sydneyjn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Death, Violence, Murder, Ableism, Transphobia, and Child death
Minor: Deadnaming
ollie_again's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexism, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, and Torture
moonchildjuli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Incest, Grief, Sexual assault, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Drug use, Hate crime, Misogyny, Police brutality, Rape, Transphobia, Violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Homophobia, and Trafficking
manasvini's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Transphobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Drug use, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Car accident, Cursing, Deadnaming, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infertility, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Self harm, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Torture
hiba_biba's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Ableism and Death
linguisticali's review against another edition
3.0
It felt like the book was leaning into the idea of sex work as inherently tragic, and I was also uncomfortable with the way the trans character's physicality was constantly foregrounded (her size! her hands! her surgeries! her breasts!).
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Murder, and Rape
Moderate: Trafficking, Transphobia, Miscarriage, and Self harm
Minor: Ableism
filo's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Ableism, Pedophilia, Transphobia, Rape, and Self harm
Minor: Deadnaming
homewithyou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3.5 stars. i had to read this for my grsj lit class and i liked it a lot more than i thought it would, but i blame that on the five extensive academic circle-jerk papers my prof made us read on a foucault theory the week before. it was also harder to read than i thought it would be. some of the themes are heavy and dark given the nature of the story and what shafak seeks to navigate, but the content itself wasn't particularly explicit. surprisingly, i think i had a harder time reading the ending of the book instead of the more graphic events that occur earlier on. maybe it's the reality of death that i'm familiar with. reading about collective mourning in the aftermath of a death and feeling it as my own, rather than the disconnect that happens when reading about the act of dying and death itself. idk! i'm gonna stare at a wall for a while though!
overall, i liked it a lot. the characters and imagery in this novel are so vivid, and is clearly a loving observation of a complicated city with complicated people and an even more complicated history.
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Murder, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Misogyny, and Sexism
roseraindrops's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This book was very different from anything I have ever decided to read before, and although at points I felt deep hatred and disgust for some of the characters and a bleak sense of sadness and helplessness, I think this book is actually very important and delves into so many important, contemporary issues through Leila, and her perhaps unlikely, ragtag group of friends. I mean, just from the content warnings alone you can see that this is not for someone looking for a lighthearted read, but although uncomfortable at times, Shafak beautifully tells the stories of the lives of the outcasts in Istanbul:
- 'Tequila' Leila - the main character who is a dead sex worker reflecting on her life, she has self-harmed, been sexually abused, has had her brother die due to his severe Down's syndrome and has a mother who suffers from extreme mental health issues, partly due to multiple stillbirths. She is hopeful, adventurous and kind, and makes an assortment of friends to build up her own 'found family':
- D/Ali - an artist and 'revolutionary' male university student
- Zaynab122 - a highly religious Muslim woman, originally from Lebanon, has dwarfism and works as a cleaner in Leila's brothel
"Religion for her had always been a source of hope, resilience and love - a lift that carried her up from the basement of darkness into a spiritual light. It pained her that the same lift could just as easily take others all the way down. The teachings that warmed her heart and brought her closer to all humanity, regardless of creed, colour or nationality, could be interpreted in such a way that they divided, confused and seperated human beings, sowing seeds of emnity and bloodshed." (272)
- Jameelah - a woman who was trafficked for sexual exploitation from Somalia, has an eating disorder
- 'Sabotage' Sinan - a son of a single mother and childhood friend to Leila, debatably the only 'respectable' member of the group as a well established, married man with children and a good, well-paying job. However, has a disconnection from his double life with his outcast friends compared to his family.
- Hollywood Humeyra - a woman who escaped an abusive marriage to become a singer/dancer in Istanbul, suffers from many health issues
- Nostalgia Nalan - a dyslexic, atheist trans-woman working in the streets as a sex worker/in clubs
"Nalan thought that one of the endless tragedies of human history was that pessimists were better at surviving than optimists, which meant that, logically speaking, humanity carried the genes of people who did not believe in humanity" (306)
This book has 3 main parts, all stylistically very different:
Part 1 - The Mind: this is the longest section all bought together through the use of the clock, like a countdown in which Leila relives her memories, starting from her birth right up to her murder. I listened to an interview with Shafak, and she bases this clock literary technique on recent scientific research into how long the brain stays active after death.
Part 2 - The Body: here we follow Leila's friends as they try to properly put her body to rest as she would have wanted - the style dramatically changes here to become an odd blend of grief and humour with drunken car chases and digging up and falling into graves. I found this section a bit bizarre to be honest but it still had some really interesting concepts based on real-life events/places in Istanbul eg. the cemetery of the companionless
Part 3 - The Soul: this is only a few pages but a good ending - I wouldn't say it's hopeful enough to counter the despair and tragedy throughout the book but Leila finds peace.
"Her mind had fully shut down, her body was already decomposing and her soul was chasing a betta fish" (304)
I enjoyed the descriptive writing style throughout - it wasn't over the top but especially in section 1, everything flowed beautifully. With recalling previously hidden memories, Shafak focuses on tiny details/imagery and especially smells to focus on and start every different recollection with, creating a distinct tone for each memory. The city of Istanbul is also described in such detail, it almost plays a role as a character in the novel - it has a distinct personality as a place of such stark contrasts and oppositions.
"Sometimes where you feel most safe is where you least belong" (20)
I must admit that although I understand the purpose of the nicknames and a way for them to reclaim their identities etc. I found it was sometimes overused unnecessarily and a bit cringy in the very reflective and meaningful scenes.
This point is completely my bad but I did not realise there was a glossary at the back! In retaining some of the authentic dialogue, occasionally there is a word or phrase from the original language that has been used so a pro tip from me - definitely use the back instead of looking it up lol. 😂😅
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Grief, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Trafficking, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Self harm, and Transphobia
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
reb_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Incest, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Trafficking, and Transphobia