A stunning journey to Istanbul

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑  Elif Shafak possesses the most beautiful writing style. I love wrapping myself within her words with each book devoured. This is the second book I have enjoyed, so far, simply because the feeling she continually instills is powerful, personal, touching yet humorous (10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World is my first Shafak book and not to be missed!). The richness of the Turkish culture, and Armenian too, makes The Bastard of Istanbul sing. Not only is the atmosphere spicy, in culture, food and dialog, but the characters are each unique, wise and unforgettable.

In The Bastard of Istanbul we follow Armanouch Tchakmakchian, the daughter of American-Armenian Barsam and his very American southern ex-wife, Rose. She knows precious little of her Armenian heritage and secretly flies to Istanbul to stay with the Turkish Kazanci family, from whom her stepfather Mustafa came. Her exposure to the colorful, vibrant city of Istanbul is not what she expects as the Turkish people she meets know very little of the Armenian genocide in 1915 which led to the family fleeing to America as refugees. Whilst there, she becomes very close to Asya, the 'bastard' the book was named in honor of. Asya is the daughter of 'Auntie' Zeliha Kazanci and doesn't know who her father is growing up in an all female, multi-generational household.

There are loads of characters to keep straight and each is well defined and a charmer. It took a while to feel settled with the wide array of characters from each family, the Cafe Kundera and the Cafe Constantinopolis chat room. There a heartfelt dive into the historical aspect of the Armenian genocide and how it impacted families at the time it occurred. I confess to not knowing much about it and found the treatment doled out by the Turks heartbreakingly cruel. This is very sad but the main, overarching emotion experienced is joy. The banter between the sisters is light and brilliant. There's a fair dose of sarcasm that shines with cheekiness. But this isn't just a sweet little story. The level of debate on weighty social topics makes Bastard a smart read, too.

Honestly, a truly beautiful book. The loveliness of this story cannot be overstated. I love The Bastard of Istanbul and will read every book Elif Shafak has written and will write in future.