10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak, 4 stars (Steeplechase)

[Holly R W]

The novel tells the story of a Turkish woman's life (Leila) from her birth through her premature death. The story opens with Leila having been killed and her body dumped into a garbage can. Even though Leila's physical body is dead, she experiences 10 minutes and 38 seconds worth of memories (consciousness) linked to different events in her life. Through these memories, the readers gets to know about Leila's family, upbringing and adult friends. Clearly, Leila has a hard life and yet is resilient.

This is the third novel I've read of Elif Shafak's. Her writing is clear and creative. This book looks at how women, minorities and the transgender population are treated by the larger society in Turkey. The author weaves politics, history and religion into the story. As an older teen, Leila is pushed into prostitution. Shafak handles these issues with sensitivity.

This is ultimately, a sad story, written with beautiful prose.


Content Warning: Child Sexual Abuse

**Steeplechase Challenge Notes - I read this for the Do Not Finish tag. It was tagged this by 92 people. I finished reading the book on 1-8-24.

[NancyJ]

This was the first book I read by her and I was impressed by the creativity. I remember the sadness, but this is also the book I think of when I hear the term “found family.” She had a loyal group of colorful (outcasts?) friends who cared about her, and went to extremes to give her a proper burial.

[Holly R W]

Yes, she is a creative writer and thinker. Now that I've read three books of hers, I see common themes. Shafak is passionate about highlighting women's and minorities' issues. She also looks at how fundamentalist, hard-line religion is hurtful. In the interview I watched, she said that her other interest is political science.

So far, my favorite book of hers is The Island of Missing Trees.