The Bastard of Istanbul

Author: Elif Shafak

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 3 out of 5

Pages: 368

Date Started: 18 December 2021

Date Finished: 21 December 2021

I am totally in love with the style of Elif Shafak. I have tried to read this book about 4 times before and never got a chance to continue and complete it. For some reason, I could not get through the first 15-20 pages. The storyline of a woman giving birth out of wedlock and her story I felt was something I wanted to read. The story of a strong woman who would bring up a child out of wedlock in a conservative and patriarchal society was enough for me to start reading the book.

The story is about two families, one Turkish and the other Armenian. The Armenian family, that was driven out of Turkey is now settled in San Francisco and the Turkish family lives in Istanbul. Asya is a 19-year-old girl, living with her mother, three aunts, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother, loves Johnny Cash and lives in Istanbul. Her only uncle Mustafa has been in America for the last 20 years and hasn't returned home. Mustafa's stepdaughter, Armanoush, whose father is Armenian and mother is American, visits Asya to learn more about her grandmother's home in Turkey. Armanoush, who is also called by the name Amy is more interested in knowing the history and the Armenian genocide.

The book is divided into 18 chapters: Cinnamon, Garbanzo Beans, Sugar, Roasted Hazelnuts, Vanilla, Pistachios, Wheat, Pine Nuts, Orange Peels, Almonds, Dried Apricots, Pomegranate Seeds, Dried Figs, Water, Golden Raisins, Rosewater, White Rice, and Potassium Cyanide. The incidents in the chapters are a part of the titles, and the ingredients used in the famous dessert Ashure.

Asya has never known her father, and neither has her mother told her anything about her father. She is called a 'Bastard' by her friends and grew up listening to her being called that. Mustafa and his wife Rose visit Istanbul when they know Armanoush is visiting without their knowledge. The story revolves around the all-female Kazancı family and how their past has played a role in the way they live now.

The character that impressed me throughout the entire book was Rose. Although she has a very small role to play in the entire book, I felt she was true to herself and every situation she faced. She never had anything to hide nor was she a hypocrite. She was a controlling mother, but other than that, I never found anything out of the ordinary about her, unlike all the other characters in the book.

Oh my...I was glad I finished the book! The book was all over the place, and there was no single storyline to follow. The book begins well and ends well, but it is a hodge-podge of nothing an unnecessary story building in between! The book could have had half of what it is and would have been really interesting to read.

The synopsis talks about Zeliha, 19 is pregnant out of wedlock and decides to have the baby, I was expecting the story to be along the lines of the struggles faced by both Zeliha and Asya, and there was nothing. The story sounded like being a single mother was a cakewalk, with her weird sisters! The story is completely torn in trying to connect the characters. There are many clusters that are totally unnecessary like Cafe Kundera and the Cafe Constantinopolis. There were many other characters that added no value to the story.

Favorite lines from the book:

• Whatever falls from the sky above, thou shalt not curse it. That includes the rain.

• Never cuss at your harasser.

• The bureaucratic regulations were less keen to rescue babies born out of wedlock than those born to married couples.

• It wouldn't be as difficult if he could only rid himself of the feeling that someone else should be doing these for him.

• Article One: If you cannot find a reason to love the life you are living, do not pretend to love the life you are living.

• Alzheimer's is not as terrible as it sounds. The past is nothing but a shackle we need to get rid of such an excruciating burden.

• Literature needs freedom to thrive.

• Memories are too much of a burden.

• Man is born free but everywhere is in chains. In reality, the difference is that the savage lives within himself while the social man lives outside himself.