Some of the fictional territory explored involves identity. "Who am I?" is an urgent question shared by migrants as they struggle to find their place in distant countries with vastly diverse history, geography and culture. The book is full of oppositions -- Turkish vs Kurdish, rural versus urban, foreign versus local, male versus female roles, and as the title suggests, honour versus shame.
Elif Shafak is a brilliant novelist who imagines her writer self as a compass. While a part of her remains anchored in Turkey, her mind is free to roam the world.
To achieve this, she "commutes" between Turkish and English, writing in both languages. Politics separates us, she says -- and how tragically apparent that is in Turkey at present. Fortunately, literature unifies us, revealing how much we have in common.
To thrive, Shafak believes we humans must not be walled about by people just like us. Instead, we need to come face to face with difference. Thus we may allow light to pass through the walls that divide us. Entering the magic spaces of story, we begin to appreciate how others see the world.
"... we humans must not be walled about by people just like us. Instead, we need to come face to face with difference." Seems a very timely message. Thanks for this, Carol. Another one to add to my "to be read" list!
ReplyDeleteYes, timely indeed.
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