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A review by khopeisz
Cold Nights of Childhood by Tezer Özlü
4.25
Stream of conscious review apropos this book, thanks to my insane migraine omg :/
Everything captured by the introduction and the translator’s notes in the copy that I read perfectly reflects my observations and sentiments for this book. This somewhat autobiographical book is so intriguing “for its madness, its honest sexuality, its lack of national fervor, and its individuality.” And what makes it more intriguing for me is its lack of linear commitment and the meaning this provokes for me. Because the story jumps between place and time so freely, you wonder to yourself, ‘what is actually happening?’ and ‘is this narrator reliable to tell this story?’ But that’s exactly how the surrounding world reacts to our narrator, the same woman who understands that no one believes sick people anyway. This book is true “consciousness distilled into narrative form,” and I appreciate it for that. It was engaging to follow, even as I struggled with it, and the sentiments brought up by the narrator were often affirming. Is it any wonder that the Aegean village brings some healing to her? Because it’s there where the narrator thinks, “…I have no thoughts about leaving. I’m cut off from time itself.” This resonated with me. Often in moments of despair, a person just wants to be refuged in some timeless apparatus, they want time to suspend so they can exist in life without its consequences, it’s extreme highs and lows. I could be projecting a bit, but anyway I felt this to be an authentic perception of the world by a woman despaired by her condition and society. Or just her condition. Or just society. You have to wonder.
Everything captured by the introduction and the translator’s notes in the copy that I read perfectly reflects my observations and sentiments for this book. This somewhat autobiographical book is so intriguing “for its madness, its honest sexuality, its lack of national fervor, and its individuality.” And what makes it more intriguing for me is its lack of linear commitment and the meaning this provokes for me. Because the story jumps between place and time so freely, you wonder to yourself, ‘what is actually happening?’ and ‘is this narrator reliable to tell this story?’ But that’s exactly how the surrounding world reacts to our narrator, the same woman who understands that no one believes sick people anyway. This book is true “consciousness distilled into narrative form,” and I appreciate it for that. It was engaging to follow, even as I struggled with it, and the sentiments brought up by the narrator were often affirming. Is it any wonder that the Aegean village brings some healing to her? Because it’s there where the narrator thinks, “…I have no thoughts about leaving. I’m cut off from time itself.” This resonated with me. Often in moments of despair, a person just wants to be refuged in some timeless apparatus, they want time to suspend so they can exist in life without its consequences, it’s extreme highs and lows. I could be projecting a bit, but anyway I felt this to be an authentic perception of the world by a woman despaired by her condition and society. Or just her condition. Or just society. You have to wonder.