Ottoman Culture

For an entertaining and enlightening tale about Turkish culture and the Armenian genocide in 1915, I recommend reading The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak. This book actually contains 3 separate stories that weave themselves together. The first is a story of a family of Turkish women living in Istanbul, all of whom share a home and a name but little else in common. The second is the story of an Armenian girl living in the states, splitting her time between her father's Armenian family in California and her mother in Arizona, who does her best to purge her life of anything Armenian after her divorce.

My favorite part of this book was the glimpses of Turkish religious customs and beliefs that were provided by one of the sisters, Banu. Through her, I learned about djinni, which I found to be very interesting. She also provides glimpses into the past that teach the reader about the Armenian genocide.

This novel is rich in concepts, including feminism and nationalism with hints of "coming-of-age novel" qualities. Shafak creates exceptionally interesting female characters, and her portrayal of Istanbul is edgy and modern. The end of the book is carefully crafted to keep the reader on a thread, excited to learn more and more about each of the characters and how their lives will change.

Shafak was prosecuted for "insulting Turkishness" because of the claims this book makes about the Armenian genocide, which is still denied by the Turkish government. I was struck by the fictional, yet historic, images this book provides about the mass destruction of Armenian citizens in the Ottoman Empire after WWI.