A review by msgtdameron
Bliss by O.Z. Livaneli

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This is really a story about Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) (I have PTS and hate the word "disorder" I don't have a disorder, That's why I dropped the D.) First  Meherium, Turkish for Mary.  One, her mother died in childbirth, her aunt, moms sister, feels obligated to look after Mary, but  Auntie hates mary and takes every chance to tell her, she is constantly beat, and finally at 15 her Uncle rapes her and the local boys drag her through the village.  Next Celb Mary's cousin and the son of her rapist.  He is a Commando in the Turkish forces fighting the PPK, Kurdish Communists, in eastern Anatolian.  Two years living at the sharp end of a thousand year old fight that continues to this day.  Ambushes, counter ambushes, patrols, barracks down time, bitter cold and blazing heat with a rainy season that lasts from Nov through late December so it's not a warm gentle rain, it's liquid ice at around .5 C.  I spent 21 months in Central Turkey during my 23 years in the Air Force so I can relate.  He has PTS.  He comes home after discharge gets a lot of accolades from his family and the village, then dad tells him to take his cousin to Istanbul and kill her as she has dishonored the family.  Yup, same guy who raped her now wants his son to kill the child he raped.  The third member of our cast is Isfahar, an Istanbul University professor who has left the university, his wife, his friends, cleared out his personal bank account, rents a forty foot sail boat and leaves for the Aegean.  His life is not filled with violence, but he is just a Dilbert in academic cubical land.  Isfahar just wants out of his life, but can't bring himself to suicide or go out in style.  He daydreams about going in style but doesn't have the courage.  The real story is how each person deals with his and her own demons.  I really enjoyed this work and related to the PTS issues that each character has.