Tower and Town, September 2020 (view the full edition)10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World, by Elif ShafakThis tells the story of a Turkish woman reflecting on her life in the immediate moments after her brutal death. Leila, a fortysomething sex worker in Istanbul, has been murdered and dumped in a wheelie bin in the dark outskirts of the city. But in the 10 minutes 38 seconds after her heart stops beating, her mind continues to work ranging over memories, scents and flavours (such as lemons and cardamom coffee) and so her past history is revealed as she recalls friends she made at key moments in her life. The novel which opens in 1990 is not only a sensual journey into the complicated life of a prostitute known as 'Tequila Leila' but the story of five social outcasts who were her cherished friends. Shafak wants to give a voice to society's untouchables such as immigrants, underdogs and those considered freaks by their own families - all considered 'trash' in an increasingly illiberal Turkey. You can feel the kindness and support they all give to each other despite the odds against them in their lives. Shafak conjures up Istanbul as the struggling, competing and clashing place it probably is, and somewhere she loved but can no longer visit. This book was shortlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize. Many of you may know Shafak's first novel The Architect's Apprentice which is the story of a young boy who travelled to Istanbul in 1540 and became the apprentice to Sinan, the Sultan's architect, responsible for many of the most famous buildings in the city today. Shafak is a Turkish-British writer, storyteller, academic and women rights activist.   Virginia Reekie |