Title: The Bastard of Istanbul
Author: Elif Shafak
Narration: Third-person omniscient
Original Language: English
Publication: 2006
My Rating: 2.5/5
Genre: Historical fiction
Significant Characters: Asya Kazancı, Zeliha Kazancı, Mustafa Kazancı, Armanoush (Amy) Tchakhmakhchian, Banu, Cevriye, Feride
Brief Overview of The Bastard of Istanbul
I started the book with sky-high expectations and excitement, but it ended up disappointing me. The story fell flat at so many points and lacked balanced pacing.
Overly descriptive, slow in pace, dipped in polished language!
What Is in The Novel?
The novel follows the stories of two families: the Kazancı family living in Istanbul and the Armenian-American Tchakhmakhchian family residing in San Francisco. At its heart is the bastard, Asya Kazancı, a rebellious young lady raised in an all-female household, and Amy, aka Armanoush Tchakhmakhchian, who travels to Turkey to get in touch with her Armenian heritage. When their lives converge, long-suppressed dark secrets about the past are unveiled, especially concerning the Armenian genocide and its appreciated silence in Turkish society.
The first half of the book consists of narrating the scenes of Asya’s life, the Kazanci household, and then Armanoush’s life in the US. The second half, on the other hand, mainly consists of the two young women getting to know each other in Istanbul and unfolding the connection between them. Throughout the novel, the history of the Armenian genocide is emphasized. Before we move ahead, let’s take a look at the history of the Armenian genocide. It is said that up to 1.2 million ethnic Armenians were systematically murdered by the Ottoman Turks in 1915-16. During this period, thousands managed to escape, mostly to America. This atrocity is believed to be the first genocide of the twentieth century and resulted ultimately in the establishment of the concept of “genocide’ in international law after World War II.
Review of The Bastard of Istanbul
Let’s begin with the story. The story is neither unique nor too ordinary. It lies somewhere between them. To be honest, I found it boring. I was looking for something to happen, to move the story forward, but nothing significant happened. However, the element of explaining history is commendable. And if you read those parts, you really enjoy them. To me, the novel was more about shedding light on the Armenian genocide than the other stories.
Next on the list, what I liked most in the novel was the matriarchy, not because it was something new or revolutionary, but because it added a comic effect. The variety among Kazancı women is also my favourite. It became more of a salad where different ingredients stay together but have distinct identities. For example, if one is too religious, the other is quite rebellious and bold. Yet none of them oversteps their boundaries with others, and they live for one mutual goal: to raise Asya well. Likewise, the way the main twists unfold is both chilling, disturbing, and enjoyable.
Although I hated the over-explanatory effect in the novel, I did enjoy some descriptive scenes. For example, when Zeliha is walking on the road, you get to walk with her and see things clearly. But after some time, the overwritten part started to irritate me throughout the novel. I mean, move on and let’s read something that will be both enjoyable and engaging! But Alas!
As for character development, I did not find much of that either. Each character remains almost the same. Zeliha is almost the same. Amy, to some extent, grows, but all in all, she is the same. As for Asya, her story was largely fixated on how she became a rebel and why she behaves the way she does.
The story also moves on at an even pace. Some scenes are portrayed in such detail that they become hurdles not only in understanding the story but also in standing alone, with no connection to the narrative. For example, the first meeting of Mstafa with her wife in a grocery store is really boring and overly detailed. On the other hand, especially towards the end, some scenes are deprived of proper description or narration. Then you will read some scenes and realize that they don’t add anything to the plot. The plot will remain the same if the scenes were not there.
Yes, then there’s the list of characters. It was difficult to remember all of them along with their roles… so, good luck there! If you lost track of some peripheral characters, you would find it difficult to comprehend the ancestor relationship and its connection with the plot.
If I have to say something about this novel, I would say it was neither completely a historical fiction novel nor a complete story of betrayal amalgamated in family drama.
Writing Style
The writing style is beautiful and simple. I enjoyed how Shafaq stitched together different words to make a scene.
Recommendation
If you are interested in historical fiction, you will certainly enjoy this book. Otherwise, you might be bored.
