The Bastard of Istanbul [Hardcover]

 

 

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This novel caught my attention because of media coverage. It kept my attention because of the characters and the way the story developed.

For me, the central theme of the novel was interpretation and denial of truth. We see how, over time, facts can be distorted and reinterpreted, or just denied. All of this is in the much broader context of the treatment of the Armenians in 1915 - which resulted in Ms Shafak being accused of 'insulting Turkishness'.

You can - if you choose - ignore the politics and be swept up by the wonderfully idiosyncratic characters. The narrative style meanders through the lives of the characters sometimes avoiding aspects that might seem important to the reader in favour of details that appear incidental.

Still, each of the main characters (particularly the women in Istanbul)and to a lesser extent the family in the USA keep the story moving. Who can resist the notion of using Auntie Feride's hair colour as a guide to her insanity? Or Auntie Banu's relationship with her djinns? The younger women: Asya and Armanoush are not, in my view, as well developed but perhaps that is for other reasons.

The result is an interesting story built on shared but contested history. Ultimately, as in all struggles, there are 'winners' and 'losers'.

Recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Having read that Shafak had been charged under article 301 of Turkey's constitution, because the words of one of her characters were alleged to "insult Turkishness", I was keen to see what the fuss was all about. It's certainly an interesting way of seeking to shed some light on the Turkish-Armenian divide, where views appear to be more nuanced than you might believe from reading the newspapers. At the same time it paints a very different picture of life in Istanbul from what one might expect.

I enjoyed this book and the occasional nod to magical realism reminded me of aspects of Salman Rushdie's or Isabel Allende's writing. That in itself should be a recommendation and I'll certainly be reading some more of her books.

In this novel of friendship, memory and religion, author Elif Shafak weaves a complex tale that juxtaposes the past with the present and unveils the age-old cultural dissonance that exists between the Turks and Armenians. Thus at its heart, The Bastard of Istanbul is a deep meditation on what it really means to be a product of history, a history "that has always kept us alive and united."

Armanoush (Amy) Tchakhmakhchian has grown up in Arizona. Undoubtedly American, Amy has always been aware of her unique Armenian heritage. As Amy grows older, she's always conscious of her fragmented childhood, yet unable to find a sense of continuity that she so richly craves.

In the meantime, Rose, Amy's American mother, marries Mustafa Kazanci, a young Turk, transplanted to Arizona by his family back in Istanbul in the hope that he will be spared the bad omen that has fallen upon every man in the Kazanci family. Barsam, Amy's Armenian father has since relocated to San Francisco and the fact that a Turk is currently raising his daughter, and that Barsam is doing nothing about it provides a constant source of displeasure for his family.

In Istanbul, the young Asya grows up listening to the music of Johnny Cash, the identity of her father shrouded in secrecy, forced to call her mother "aunt" Zeliha, whilst also labeled a "bastard" by the world around her. Zeliha, with her with her "frizzy raven-black hair, and her nose ring," and her natural propensity to rebelliousness frustrates her sisters and her mother, this group of Kazanci women who have entwined their lives with "traditions, evil-eye beads, coffee-cup readings, and fortune-telling ceremonies."

Amy and Asya are inexplicably pushed together, unexpectedly finding themselves drawn to each other by history, and also by their respective families. Unable to put up with her mother's encapsulating universe, and feeling like she's constantly on parade in San Francisco, Amy can't help feeling that something is absent, that part of her identity is missing, and that without it she can't start living her own life.

"I need to find my Armenianess first, even if this requires a voyage into the past," Amy says as she decides to clandestinely take a trip to Istanbul. It is in this city with its exquisite Bosphorus landscapes and its "hodgepodge of ten million lives" that Amy attempts to find the answers to the sorrow of her ancestors and recognition for all the loss, grief and pain of the Armenian genocide.

Surprisingly Amy and Asya hit it off right away, both of them intelligent and thoughtful and modern, with Asya taking Amy on a tour guide of her beloved city. The more Amy stays in Istanbul, the more twisted and multi-facetted the city grows to be and the more she begins to embody the spirit of her people that existed generations and generations earlier.

Shafak - with varying degrees of success - weaves together various historical subplots with Turkish and Armenian myths and folklore, and sprinkles her narrative with an assortment of eccentric family members - on both sides of the isle. She also brings together the various points of view of this complicated Armenian and Turkish Diaspora and buried within her narrative is a sharp dissection - and understanding - of race and nationality.

In Istanbul, and indeed in America, the Turks and Armenians often cohabit in mutual unease. The Armenians keeping their memories of the genocide very much alive, whilst the average Turk has no such notion of continuity with his or her ancestors.

In a rich and elaborate style that calls to mind a tumultuous past as it clashes with an uncertain future, Shafak portrays Amy and Asya as two unbridled innocents caught in the middle of their respective nationalities, Amy is drawn into the Kazanci household and is ultimately seduced by the beatific chaos of Istanbul, whilst Asya searches for an identity far removed from her world, as she knows it.

In the process, both of these girls are forced to confront the notion of whether it is really better for them to discover more of their past, or to simply know as little of the past as possible, and even go so far as to forget what small amount of the past that they remember. Mike Leonard April 07

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4.0 out of 5 stars A great story but poorly translated
When I started to read this book, I thought I would not finish it. However, I persevered and by the time I got to the end I was really sorry to be finishing it, I may even read... Read more

Published 6 months ago by A. M. Golding

3.0 out of 5 stars Colourful but clunky
I'm not sure why, on balance, I enjoyed this book. It would definitely have benefited from more rigorous editing. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Penfold

2.0 out of 5 stars Good in parts, awful in more
As in the nursery rhyme about the little girl with the curl, the good bits about this book are very, very good. Read more

Published 18 months ago by BookWorm

5.0 out of 5 stars Brave book considering the contriversal nature of the content
This book hit the media headlines because the contraversial nature of it's contain. Whilst I argee with previous reviews about it's content, I believe in the freedom of the... Read more

Published 18 months ago by Ms. J. K. Moore

4.0 out of 5 stars another success
I love Elif Shafak: her combination of perception into the human psyche, phenomenal local colour and detail, historical details AND a riveting story encompassing several... Read more

Published on 7 Feb 2009 by Ms. Riane Revah

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating, humorous and painful tale
"The Bastard Of Istanbul" generated a controversy. Its Turkish author, Elif Shafak, was put on trial a couple of years ago for "denigrating Turkishness" (her own words) because... Read more

Published on 26 Jan 2009 by I LOVE BOOKS

1.0 out of 5 stars A pretentious and artificial novel
Probably interesting from a superficial historical perspective, at least if you never came across the Armenian genocide (i.e. Read more

Published on 19 Jan 2009 by papera

1.0 out of 5 stars A struggle to finish
This review represents not only my opinions but those of our book group who read the book this month. Read more

Published on 21 Oct 2008 by DubaiReader

1.0 out of 5 stars A struugle to finish
This review represents not only my opinions but those of our book group who read the book this month. Read more

Published on 21 Oct 2008 by DubaiReader

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read novel
I finished the novel in 1,5 day. Elif is a brilliant writer and everyone must meet with her... All chapters have its own stunning short story and like pieces of mosaic when they... Read more

Published on 14 May 2008 by V. Hasillioglu

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