Now, those who read and with this I simply imbibe would have a habit of starting from the blurb, to get a gist of the novel, imagine what the story would be like or how it would unfold or how characters would be, since a blurb gives you a sneak peak, well, if I would have had penned it then I would have never mentioned Zeliha, Asya or Armanoush,
Rather I’d have mentioned mr.bitter- a notorious djinn, auntie banu and the age old art of clairvoyance.
However the story revolves around the family history that started back in 1905 and winds up in 2005, how the exodus of Armenian families in Istanbul affected not only them, but Turks likewise, how the Ottoman Empire subdued rationality with blinded nationalism, how lives were lost, how prudence was no longer reformed, how Istanbul today brewed non-nationalist Scenarist of Ultranationalist movies living in a paradoxical world in constant denial of their existence, how Armenian families were insecure of their existence, their kids going through existential crisis, trying to find their roots, trying to land conformity with their souls..
Amidst all this we meet Zeliha, a well proportioned tall woman with extremely long legs and excruciatingly short mini skirts, and bizarre long heels, a nose ring for her nostril, broad forehead, aquiline nose and eyes that of sparkling water, walking through the streets of Istanbul cussing the cobblestones, and almost everyone who looked at her,when in a clinic she wants to abort her child out of wedlock, but somehow couldn’t- well yeah ‘Asya’ she’s the bastard we all would be beautifully hoodwinked to read about.
Mr.bitter- the notorious djinn who was made to accept Auntie Banu as his master- is the hero for me throughout.
Bound in the shackles of right and wrong we humans fail incredulously to see beyond what appears to the eye. Whereas djinn are free to explore the past and at times reveal the bitter truth without any sugarcoat.
The most prominent feature of Elif Shafak’s writeup is indeed her love for Sufism and the art of completing a circle.
“Whatever falls from the sky shall not be cursed,and that includes rain”
Review: The bastard of Istanbul Author: @shafakelif
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Shaista Fatima or as she prefers going by the name Bhoomi Nighat Siraj, and terms this as her chosen name or takhallus, which is also an ode to her mother, (story around it is deep rooted to finding one's purpose on earth), whose writing and speaking genes she believes to have inherited. She has a masters in mass communication from AJKMCRC-JAMIA MILLIA ISLAMIA. A sufi by heart and a performer inside out she is a theatre artist, an active book reviewer and a communication specialist. Her love for the stage makes her an expert at showmanship and she is ever ready to counsel youth with their endeavours, as a result she looks forward to her work in psychology and communications in the near future. She has published poetry and articles to her credit, has edited novels and believes in writing with the flow. Till date she prefers keeping a journal in hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching or reading autobiographies, fiction, detective novels or sleeping if not doing anything
