Discussion of The Architect's Apprentice *With Spoilers*

[Melanie, Marhaba Language Expertise]

I'm opening this thread for us to continue our discussion. This is a chance to discuss the plot and ending without spoiling it for people who haven't read it (or finished it) yet. There are plenty of mysteries in this book! Also, here is the 2016 discussion: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
And here is the 2019 discussion with *No Spoilers*:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Melanie, Marhaba Language Expertise]

I just finished reading the book (first time), and I definitely think this is the best book I've yet read by Elif Shafak (the others I read were The Forty Rules of Love and Three Daughters of Eve). (I also enjoyed her non-fiction Black Milk: On Writing, Motherhood, and the Harem Within.) The story and language are carefully crafted, with many mysteries left unsolved until nearly the end (and a few left unsolved altogether).

This novel explores life in 16th-century Ottoman Istanbul through the lives of the historical figure, Sinan, and his fictional apprentice, the elephant keeper named Jahan.

Jahan tells tales of his childhood in India, but we come to discover that in fact he grew up in Turkey, running away from a difficult and dangerous domestic situation to care for the elephant named Chota in the sultan's menagerie.

Through Sinan, Jahan, and other characters, the author explores the society of Istanbul in all its variety. She takes pleasure in the diversity of the city, bringing to life characters and events that bridge communities. She includes, for example: Muslims who range from the pious to the impious, Jews such as the scholar and booktrader on which Sinan and his apprentices rely, and Christians such as the nuns who treat victims of the plague; members of social classes ranging from the royal family to brothels and Gypsy bands; men, women, and people with more ambiguous gender identities or unusual bodoes (like eunuchs, dwarves, and a woman disguised long-term as a man). She includes the elephant Chota as a very memorable character as well, and he lives on in his son. Animals too are given a place in this tableau.

My favorite characters were Chota the elephant, Sinan the chief architect, and Yusuf the fellow apprentice. Chota represents many of the attributes that we value most in humanity (patience, loyalty, strength, friendship). Sinan selects his apprentices in an attempt to help them, and he always leaves a tiny imperfection in his masterpieces. I enjoyed this reimagining of a historical figure in all his talent and earnest attempts to do extraordinary work and to live ethically. Yusuf, the fellow apprentice, is a woman who lives and dresses as a man in order to use her intellectual training and to serve Sinan, who she secretly loves. I found her character intriguing and memorable.

There are many different kinds of love represented in this book: love between master and apprentices, between an unattainable princess and a lowly mahout, between parents and children, between a princess and her nanny, between a dwarf and her dog, between a boy/man and an elephant, between the ruler of India and his beloved, departed wife, between an old man and his beautiful, young wife.

We see how some of the relationships among the characters grow steady and strong (Jahan and Sinan, Jahan and Yusuf, Jahan and the gypsies), while others turn to acid (the princess and her father and nanny, Jahan and Davud). We are left with an intricate tapestry of characters and events that charms us for a time, and remains with us in memorable scenes and characters.

As someone who has specialized for many years in a language, I particularly enjoyed this statement:
"When you master a language, you are given the key to a castle. What you'll find inside depends on you."

[Eileen]

Melanie wrote: "I just finished reading the book (first time), and I definitely think this is the best book I've yet read by Elif Shafak (the others I read were The Forty Rules of Love and [book:Thr..."

I finished the book last week and am still thinking about the characters. I teared up at the end several times. It was a five star read for me, absolutely excellent. As I was reading a paperback copy, I jotted down my favorite quotes in a notebook. The quote you liked on language was one I noted too. Here is one on translating that I loved:
"Words in common were captured and held like butterflies caught in a net between them."

Since spoilers are no problem here, one of the things I wondered about (as you said, there were so many mysteries running through the novel) was did Mihrimah love Jahan. I felt that she did and this was evident in the scene between the two on her deathbed. So why does Jahan ask Hesna Khatun if Mihrimah ever loved him? He knows how Hesna disdains him yet he believes her negative response. Is it just another example of Jahan's innocence and naivete, his trusting nature?

[Melanie, Marhaba Language Expertise]

Thanks, Eileen! It seemed to me that Mihrimah's love for Jahan was left open to interpretation. Maybe she didn't love Jahan as much as he loved her, but there are different kinds of love, so it's not clear. His question made sense to me because most people feel doubt in their lover or in their own beliefs at some point. He was looking for another opinion. The response was, of course, colored by the perspective of the one delivering it. As readers, we can choose to believe it or not. I found it rather convincing, but I certainly don't expect other readers to agree with me. Maybe there are other ideas here in our group...?