The Bastard of Istanbul tells the stories of two girls,Asya Kazanci and Armanoush Tchakhmakhchian and their respective families,one Turkish and the other Aremenian and how they are connected through the history of the Armenian genocide.Asya is the 'bastard' daughter of Zeliha,raised by an eccentric group of aunts and grandmothers in Istanbul.She knows very little about her past and has no interest in it.
In Arizona,Armanoush is trying to grapple with her past and find her true identity.She is the daughter of Rose and a Turkish step-father,Mustafa.She shuttles between Arizona and San Francisco where she spends some time of the year with her father Barsham's large Aremenian family.Struggling to understand herself and her Armenian roots,she decides to journey to Turkey and stay with her step-father's family,the Kazanci's.
When Asya and Armanoush meet,they begin to find a lot of common factors binding them together and this journey sets the ball in motion ultimately revealing a lot of closely guarded family secrets.
My Views:
This book had me hooked,with a very good opening chapter and I was hoping it would be a fantastic read.However as I progressed,I found that too many characters were being introduced too fast.Their names being Turkish and Armenian were a little difficult to get used to and I found myself failing to see any connection between their lives.It kept me wondering where the story was headed because it felt like reading disconnected scenes.
One really has to be attentive to all the details in this book and if you are distracted or are compelled to read it haphazardly due to time constraints,there is a good possibility that you might not really enjoy it.I would suggest you read it at a stretch, if possible over a weekend.I read about a hundred pages every night and still had to struggle with some parts.The characters failed to evoke any empathy in me.
There were a lot of unnecessary details thrown in which distracted me and even though I enjoyed reading about the elaborate Turkish and Armenian cuisine,I felt that it took away from the main story.The inclusion of a recipe came as an unwanted surprise.
The magical realism was unexpected and a bit strange.
However I did enjoy reading about the motley cast of characters in Cafe Kundera.
I hadnt read much about Turkish history and was shocked to know about the ruthless mass massacre of people and the Armenian genocide.It was interesting to read about how the Turkish-Armenian history is viewed through so many perspectives.
It was a bit disturbing to read the end because honestly it came as a surprise.I hadnt expected it to end that way.Zeliha's character was portrayed as being so strong-willed that it was surprising to see how she handled the situations in her life.But of course this is what I think.
I liked Asya and Armanoush ,they were independent women with a mind of their own. I thought it was a perfect portrayal of the need to erase the past sometimes and also the desire to examine it.
I liked the fact that everything fits perfectly in the end like a jig-saw puzzle.You realise that everyone was there for a reason and every scene which felt disconnected at the beginning,starts to finally make sense.
I was a bit disturbed after reading this book but I did like it in parts.
I rate it a 3 out of 5
No comments:
Post a Comment