The Bastard of Istanbul

By: Elif Shafak

Narrated by: Laural Merlington

In her second novel written in English, Elif Shafak confronts her country's violent past in a vivid and colorful tale set in both Turkey and the United States.

At its center is the "bastard" of the title, Asya, a 19-year-old woman who loves Johnny Cash and the French Existentialists, and the four sisters of the Kazanci family, who all live together in an extended household in Istanbul. They include Zehila, the zestful, headstrong youngest sister, who runs a tattoo parlor and is Asya's mother; Banu, who has newly discovered herself as a clairvoyant; Cevriye, a widowed high-school teacher; and Feride, a hypochondriac obsessed with impending disaster. Their one (estranged) brother lives in Arizona with his wife and her Armenian daughter, Armanoush. When Armanoush secretly flies to Istanbul in search of her identity, she finds the Kazanci sisters and becomes fast friends with Asya. A secret is uncovered that links the two families and ties them to the 1915 Armenian deportations and massacres.

Full of vigorous, unforgettable female characters, The Bastard of Istanbul is a bold, powerful tale that will confirm Shafak as a rising star of international fiction.

©2007 Elif Shafak (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.

Critic reviews

"Beautifully imagined....This wonderful new novel carried me away." (The Chicago Tribune)
"A saucy, witty, dramatic, and affecting tale in the spirit of novels by Amy Tan, Julia Alvarez, and Bharati Mukherjee." (New York Newsday)

Devastating Story

Well worth the journey. Ms Shafak is a marvel. Narration really brought characters to life!

Captivating

A Brilliant author and a
talented narrator.I greatly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it .

Very very good!

The performer was very good, doing voices from lots of different regions. The story is really interesting and nice to listen to, ended to soon

Rough start

I started listening because I tried reading and just couldn’t get going. The book had its moments but it just didn’t do it for me. There was also a pretty significant detail that wasn’t caught.

Istanbul ❤️

A very intriguing cast of characters. I loved the depth and the historical perspectives of the Armenian diaspora.