10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

Title: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

Author: Elif Shafak 

Published: 24 September 2019 

Genre: Fiction 

Rating: 5 out of 5 

Date Started: 20 June 2020 

 Date Finished: 26 June 2020 

My interest in this book is: 

This book was recommended by Goodreads and had more than a 4-star rating. The plot and the author’s biography made me pick up this book. Since I have been learning Turkish, I am more interested in knowing about Turkish culture. I have read a couple of books by Orhan Pamuk but had not read any books by any female Turkish authors. 

Ideas Expressed/Message/Plot: 

The story starts at the end. A prostitute, known as Tequila Leila, is killed in Istanbul and the 10 minutes and 38 seconds are her last minutes of being alive and she recalls her entire life from birth to death. She recalls being born, her childhood, and growing up in Van. The turn of events of abuse and her father’s conversion to following a Sheikh to follow a strict Islamic way of living makes her rebel against the family and move to Istanbul. 

She recalls five of her friends Sinan, Jameelah, Jumeyra, Zaynab, and Nalan. Leila also tells the story of how she met every one of them and what their backgrounds were. I felt that ‘Everybody has a story’ holds so true in all those stories. There is so much more to everyone’s life than what we see. Leila shares so much with her friends, but never talks about her family after the bitter experience with her father.

The author has made an exceptional job of walking the readers through the city, the lives of everyone involved, and Leila’s life. Although being looked down upon by society, Leila holds her head high and treats everyone with love. There are so many random acts of kindness Leila does to show her simplicity. 

The ending sounded a little dramatic but could have been made simpler. I did not particularly like the cinematic ending but glad that Leila, at last, got what she wanted. I was expecting the fate of friends after Leila was gone and I wasn’t surprised to read that. I wished that the culprits got punished though. I am not sure why the writer chose to ignore the fact that Leila could have gotten justice. But I also think that the story would have been perfect and that’s not how things work! 

In the note, Elif Shafak talks and has a picture of the ‘Cemetery of the Companionless’, which broke my heart. Everyone deserves a good burial or last rites according to their belief. 

Favorite Characters: 

My favorite characters in the book were Leila and Zeynab. Leila because she has so much strength and resilience. I liked Zeynab more than any other character apart from Leila is because of her dedication to friendship and her soft nature. She has a strong belief in God and religion. She keeps a tab on everyone for choosing to do right from wrong. 

When I finished this book, I felt: 

The book was a roller coaster ride of emotions for sure! My vision blurred so many times while reading the book. I felt good that no matter where you are, there will always be people who will love you and be with you through thick and thin. On the other hand, I also felt sad that her parents didn’t make any effort in reaching out to her. They were more worried about society than their daughter. 

Favorite lines from the book:

• No one survives alone – except the Almighty God. And remember, in the desert of life, the fool travels alone and the wise by caravan.

• But now she understood, with a sinking feeling, that Baba did before her in fact.

• Are we humans, just like sheep and goats, composed of two kinds: those who can never forget and those who can forgive . . .

• Given that her recovery was nothing short of a miracle, they called her ‘Sekiz’ – ‘Eight’, for clearly a creature that could endure so much pain had to have nine lives, eight of which must have been spent.

• Funerals are for the living, that’s for sure.

• It was not fair that they had dumped Leila in the Cemetery of the Companionless when she wasn’t companionless at all. Leila had friends. Lifelong, loyal, loving friends. She might not have had much else, but this she surely had.

• How could meditation help you to quieten your mind when you needed to quieten your mind in order to meditate?

• No offense, but religion is plain commerce, Give-and-take.

• But in Poland, they drink it (vodka) at funerals – to toast the dead.