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THE BASTARD OF ISTANBUL
Kirkus Reviews
November 1, 2006
An astonishingly rich and lively story of an Istanbul family whose
mixed up heritage mirrors the complexity of Turkish society.
Shafak (The Gaze, 2006), whom the Turkish government has put on trial
for "denigrating Turkishness," writes here about the 1915 massacre of
Armenians. The four Kazanci sisters live together with their mother
and paternal grandmother in Istanbul, their bother Mustafa having
been sent to Arizona as a young man to avoid the Kazanci curse: The
men of the family tend to die by age 41. When the youngest sister,
rebellious Zeliha, has a daughter out of wedlock, she refuses to
name the father. Calling Zeliha auntie although she knows their
relationship, Aysa grows up in this household of women.
Zeliha runs a tattoo parlor; her sisters include a devout Muslim
seer, a nationalistic history teacher and a batty feminist. To escape
her doting aunts and grandmothers, Aysa hangs out with coffeehouse
intellectuals, including a cartoonist indicted by the government
for cartoons mocking the prime minister. Defensive about her lack
of a father, Aysa takes an existential view of life that denies the
importance of the past. Meanwhile in America, Armanoush is born to
an Armenian father and American mother. After her parents divorce,
Armanoush's mother marries Mustafa, who barely acknowledges his Turkish
roots. Armanoush spends large chunks of her childhood with her father's
loving Armenian family, which clings to history and long simmering
bitterness against the Turks. Increasingly drawn to her Armenian
roots, Armanoush travels to Istanbul (without telling her parents)
to learn more of her family history. She stays with the Kazancis, who
are astounded when she tells them what Turks did to Armenians. As Asya
and Armanoush become friends, myths -- ethnic, familial and personal
-- explode. Despite a misstep into melodrama concerning Mustafa,
Shafak handles her large cast of characters and plotting with finesse.
A hugely ambitious exploration of complex historical realities handled
with an enchantingly light touch.
Publication Date: 1/22/2007 0:00:00 Publisher: Viking Stage: Adult
Star: 1 ISBN: 0-670-03834-2 Price: $24.95 Author: Shafak, Elif
Kirkus Reviews
November 1, 2006
An astonishingly rich and lively story of an Istanbul family whose
mixed up heritage mirrors the complexity of Turkish society.
Shafak (The Gaze, 2006), whom the Turkish government has put on trial
for "denigrating Turkishness," writes here about the 1915 massacre of
Armenians. The four Kazanci sisters live together with their mother
and paternal grandmother in Istanbul, their bother Mustafa having
been sent to Arizona as a young man to avoid the Kazanci curse: The
men of the family tend to die by age 41. When the youngest sister,
rebellious Zeliha, has a daughter out of wedlock, she refuses to
name the father. Calling Zeliha auntie although she knows their
relationship, Aysa grows up in this household of women.
Zeliha runs a tattoo parlor; her sisters include a devout Muslim
seer, a nationalistic history teacher and a batty feminist. To escape
her doting aunts and grandmothers, Aysa hangs out with coffeehouse
intellectuals, including a cartoonist indicted by the government
for cartoons mocking the prime minister. Defensive about her lack
of a father, Aysa takes an existential view of life that denies the
importance of the past. Meanwhile in America, Armanoush is born to
an Armenian father and American mother. After her parents divorce,
Armanoush's mother marries Mustafa, who barely acknowledges his Turkish
roots. Armanoush spends large chunks of her childhood with her father's
loving Armenian family, which clings to history and long simmering
bitterness against the Turks. Increasingly drawn to her Armenian
roots, Armanoush travels to Istanbul (without telling her parents)
to learn more of her family history. She stays with the Kazancis, who
are astounded when she tells them what Turks did to Armenians. As Asya
and Armanoush become friends, myths -- ethnic, familial and personal
-- explode. Despite a misstep into melodrama concerning Mustafa,
Shafak handles her large cast of characters and plotting with finesse.
A hugely ambitious exploration of complex historical realities handled
with an enchantingly light touch.
Publication Date: 1/22/2007 0:00:00 Publisher: Viking Stage: Adult
Star: 1 ISBN: 0-670-03834-2 Price: $24.95 Author: Shafak, Elif