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A review by charity_ix
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I was very busy this month with school stuff but I finally finished this weekend and I liked it! I recently did a project on The Armenian Genocide for school and I didn't know this book was about that until I started reading.
It was interesting to get so many perspectives and people in this book and it was satisfying how they were all connected. The backstories were my favorite parts particularly Grandma Shushan's story and the pomegranate . I also liked how everything was significant and there were no random plotlines or characters just to fill the pages.
I obviously loved the main characters Asya and Armanoush, as well as the aunts and grandmas. Seeing Armanoush's struggle with being Armenian-American, her identity, and her family overall was insightful.I also thought Cafe Constantinople was an interesting addition to the book. I do wish Armanoush and Baron's relationship/friendship was further explored but that may have been too much to compact into one book.
The parallels between Asya and Aunt Zeliha were interesting to see and I think their relationship was perfectly explained in the book. Again, I do wish they healed a bit more from their conflicts, but I believe the ending alluded that they would eventually.
The setting and cultural aspects of the book were illustrated so well that I felt like I was in Istanbul myself. Overall, this book is a story about multigenerational trauma, family, and confronting the past. I would recommend this book.
It was interesting to get so many perspectives and people in this book and it was satisfying how they were all connected. The backstories were my favorite parts
I obviously loved the main characters Asya and Armanoush, as well as the aunts and grandmas. Seeing Armanoush's struggle with being Armenian-American, her identity, and her family overall was insightful.
The parallels between Asya and Aunt Zeliha were interesting to see and I think their relationship was perfectly explained in the book. Again, I do wish they healed a bit more from their conflicts, but I believe the ending alluded that they would eventually.
The setting and cultural aspects of the book were illustrated so well that I felt like I was in Istanbul myself. Overall, this book is a story about multigenerational trauma, family, and confronting the past. I would recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Abortion, Rape, and Incest