The novel is set in 1990 in Istanbul.
Tequila Leila, a 43-year-old sex worker, is “inside a metal rubbish bin
with rusty handles and flaking paint.”
Her heart has stopped beating and her brain is slowly shutting
down. In the ten minutes during which
her brain continues to function, she flashes back to her early life in eastern
Turkey. Interspersed with these vignettes
which explain how Leyla Akarsu came to be a prostitute are the back stories of
the five friends who comprise Leila’s surrogate family.
The first part of the novel which outlines Leila’s life from birth to
death is a great read. We see a child/ young
girl who has few options. Her father
becomes increasingly religious and he restricts the movements of his wives and
his daughter; he expects the women in his household to be silent and
docile. After being sexually abused by a
relative, her fate seems sealed, especially when she refuses to be the obedient
daughter her family expects.
Leila’s five friends are all social outcasts whose lives show the
treatment received by the marginalized. Among
these friends are an illegal immigrant, a dwarf, and a transfemale. All are drawn to Istanbul, but none are
greeted with open arms. The book does
not paint a positive picture of humans: “No
one should try to philosophize on the nature of humanity until they had worked
in a public toilet for a couple of weeks and seen the things that people did,
simply because they could.”
The second part of the book was a major letdown. Leila’s five friends set out to make sure
that she has a proper burial and is not left in the Cemetery of the Companionless. This section, full of slapstick, descends
into farce. Their devotion to their
friend is commendable but some of the behaviour is totally ridiculous. This section left me wishing that the author
had ended the book at the end of the first part with its perfect last
sentence: “They never failed to
recognize a sad woman when they saw one.”
Shafak is known as an advocate for the rights of women, minorities, and
LGBT people. In this novel she also
draws attention to sexual violence against women and children, hoping to draw
attention to the problem and encourage the Turkish government to take
action. Unfortunately, the government is
investigating writers who write about difficult subjects. That fact alone means her book should be
read.
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