Author: Elif Shafak
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5
Pages: 352
Date Started: 12 August 2021
Date Finished: 26 August 2021
When the first sentence of the book reads 'My mother died twice', you know the book will swallow you! After reading '10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World' by Elif Shafak, I have fallen in love with her writing and the story narration. I like the way she writes about how women become victims of society captures the readers well. I synopsis of the book made me pick the book.
The story starts with Esma who is about to pick up her older brother Iskender, from prison for killing their mother in the name of honor. The narrative based on the mid-1970s talks about a Turkish family moving from Istanbul to England for a better future. Pembe and Jamila's mother who in order to have a boy, gave birth to eight girls. Pembe and Jamila being twins were named Pempe Kader (Pink Destiny) and Jamila Yeter (Enough Beauty). Pembe marries Adem Toprak and has three kids, Iskender, Esma, and Yunus.
Adem works in a factory and abandons his family for a stripper and for the money he has lost in gambling. Pembe tries to make ends meet while working at a hair salon and befriends Elias, who is a chef. Knowing this infuriates Iskander, who feels he is the man of the house after his father left. In a rage, Iskander kills Pembe, his own mother, and goes to jail. The story continues with the lives of Esma and Yunus, and Adem, who moved to the UAE for work. The story ends with Iskander being released from jail and Esma picking him up, but does he feel remorse for what he did?
Pembe throughout was my favorite character. She tries hard to adjust between the traditions she grew up with and the modern society she is living in. Pembe also tries hard to get everyone together but is out of luck when it comes to her husband Adem. Her struggle to make ends meet and get involved in the lives of her three kids is a struggle, but she never gives up hope. She also feels that she is wrong when she goes out with Elias but tries to look for happiness for herself, which she never had.
I was blown away by this book. It was a true page-turner. This book left a void! I wished the story continued. The story was not just about Pembe, but many of the women who are struggling to live in the patriarchal rules and society! The men are made heads of the families and make others follow the rules they have made, even though it is not fair to everyone. I felt that the story was also about an immigrant, trying to keep their language, culture, traditions, and rituals alive in a foreign land. The story was about marriage, differences, trying to save it at any cost, and life's failures.
It was heartbreaking to read about both Adem and Pembe dealing with their own griefs which they faced as children. Iskender, even though kills his mother in a rage, is confused about his decision. Esma, being the middle child and the only girl is torn between making peace with the fact that her brother tried to kill their mother and taking care of her younger brother Yunus. This was a heartbreaking story, which I felt was written with compassion and empathy. There was never a dull moment in the book and any unnecessary characters or events.
Favorite lines from the book:
There have been many times when I have thought of killing him. I have also thought of forgiving him, fully and truly. In the end, I haven't achieved either.
Mothers don't go to heaven when they die. They get special permission from God to stay around a bit longer and watch over their children, no matter what has passed between them in their brief mortal lives.
Until that day, he hadn't known that you could love someone with all your heart and yet be ready to hurt them.
Why couldn't human beings live and die where they were born?
Coffee was like love, the more patient you were with it, the better it would taste.
Sheitan waits don't he ledges to pull down whoever gets too close. Sheitan would clutch their ankles with his claws and yank them down into the emptiness below. Only cats survived because they had nine lives and could afford to die eight times.
No matter what a con's age, his mother thinks he is a good boy corrupted by bad friends.
Anger is toxic.
Human nature being what it is, we hate most those we love most.
