The Bastard of Istanbul [Hardcover]

An astonishingly rich and lively story … handled with an enchantingly light touch' Kirkus Reviews

A brave and passionate novel (Paul Theroux )

Tremendous exuberance . . . I do like a writer with a purpose (Margaret Forster )

An astonishingly rich and lively story ... handled with an enchantingly light touch ((Starred Review) Kirkus )

Overflows with a kitchen sink's worth of zany characters … an entertaining and insightful ensemble novel that posits the universality of family, culture and coincidence ((Starred Review) Publishers Weekly ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Infused with sharp wit, gentle irony and a sense of mysticism ... handled with compassion and a deftly humorous touch --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Sometimes comical, sometimes surprising ... Shafak's talent and subtle humour have made her descriptions so vivid --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Packed to bursting with jokes, tales and ideas --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

A mix of gossipy domestic detail, the minutiae of city life, foodstuffs and recipes, love affairs and family secrets
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

'A brave and passionate novel' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

'Heartbreaking' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

'Generous with comic touches, laced with a mouthwatering appreciation of food ... The atmosphere is rich' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

'A cross-generational saga written with a freewheeling energy' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

One rainy afternoon in Istanbul a woman walks into a doctor's surgery. 'I want an abortion', she announces. She is nineteen years old, and unmarried. What happens that afternoon is to change her life, and the lives of everyone around her.

Twenty years later, Asya Kazanci lives with her extended family in Istanbul. Due to a mysterious family curse all the men die by age 41, so it is a house of women, among them her beautiful, rebellious mother, Zeliha, clairvoyant Auntie Banu and bar-brawl widow, Auntie Cevriye. But when Asya's Armenian-American cousin Armanoush comes to stay, long-hidden family secrets and Turkey's turbulent past begin to emerge.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Elif Shafak was born in Strasbourg, France, in 1971. She is an award-winning novelist and the most widely read female writer in Turkey. Critics have acclaimed her as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary literature in both Turkish and English. Her novels include The Bastard of Istanbul which was longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages. She is married with two children, and divides her time between London and Istanbul. Her website is www.elifshafak.com. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.