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Learn moreAlready an international bestseller, this lyrical and moving story embodies the sweep and contradictions of modern Turkey. In a rural Turkish village, young Meryem is raped by her uncle, a sheikh in a dervish order. Outcast for shaming her family, she is locked in the cellar, where she is expected to kill herself. But she is defiant.
Her commando cousin, Cemal, with whom she grew up, has returned a hero from fighting terrorists in the mountains. It is he who is chosen to execute his cousin outside the town, telling her he is going to “take her to Istanbul.”
In Istanbul, a media celebrity professor named Irfan leaves his wife and charters a boat to sail the Aegean. By chance, these three fugitives cross paths and embark on a journey that shows what unexpected things can happen in the space between wounded people.
O. Z. Livaneli was held under military detention during the coup of March 12, 1971, and lived in exile for eight years. He studied music in Stockholm then lived in Paris and Athens, returning toTurkey in 1984. Having achieved prominence as a writer and composer, he was elected a member of Parliament in 2002.
Anna Fields (1965–2006), winner of more than a dozen Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award in 2004, was one of the most respected narrators in the industry. Trained at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she was also a director, producer, and technician at her own studio, Cedar House Audio.
Reviews
“Livaneli offers readers a fascinating look at the diversity of Turkey today in his American debut…Highly recommended for libraries where readers like to explore other cultures.”
“Turkey’s wildly disparate and clashing cultures…collide in this romantic yet clear-eyed translation…Livaneli deftly folds his philosophical and political questioning into the psychology of his characters. Eye-opening and deeply moving—essential for anyone looking for decency in the world today.”
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