The Bastard of Istanbul is a gripping tale of love,
lovelessness and family secrets painted on a canvass of Turkey’s vivid cultural
melange. The characters depict a lot of passion both in their rebelliousness
and conformity, portraying in them the conflicts of daily life living the
modern life with the burden of the past.
I picked up this book as a predecessor to the much acclaimed The
40 Rules of Love, a book I loved for its intense mystic undertones. The
exceptionally creative narrative made me an instant Elif Shafak fan. The
narrative is quite different as compared to 40 Rules. But interleaving time-spans to narrate intricate tale seems to be a favourite common factor. Intense
characterisation with highly sensitive handling of characters’ emotions stays
with you. For example the balloon seller sailing away on the boat over
Bosphorus remains vivid in its detail days after closing the book.
The Bastard beautifully brings out the nuances of the
cultural and political modern history of Turkey. If you are interested in the
vicissitudes of Turkish and Armenian lives through the modern history of
Turkey, this is as good a book that provides an up close and personal view. Be
prepared for an insider’s perspective on the culture based political conflicts
as well as generational differences in interpretations. It raises interesting
questions like What’s better –to remember your history or the forget it or not
know it all? How much are you accountable for the actions of your societal ascendants?
The book is an interesting journey in the gastronomic essence of Turkish
culture. Are the chapter titles the ingredients of Ashure? If yes, that’s
another neat dimension to the narration. And when the ingredient list is done,
you know that Ashure is ready. But, still, I did not see that end coming.
Elif Shafak is my favourite contemporary literary fiction writer
in just two books in a little over as many months; three more arrived a few days back. Bastard of Istanbul is a must read if you like
to explore the exotic.
-Gowrish
