Een ding is zeker, Elif Shafak kan heel goed schrijven. Dit is een verhaal vol hoop en vriendschap en trouw door dik en dun. Het speelt zich voornamelijk af in Turkije, in Istanbul in het prostitutiecircuit. Leila is geboren als dochter van een welgestelde man, maar zij is het kind van zijn bijvrouw. Zijn hoofdvrouw, Suzan, kan geen kinderen krijgen en daarom is de moeder van Leila aangeschaft (letterlijk) om de kinderen in het gezin voort te brengen. Leila wordt door de buitenwereld gezien als de dochter van Suzan. Voor Binnaz, haar biologische moeder, is dat de druppel die haar laat instorten en Binnaz raakt ernstig in de war.
Ik ga niet teveel vertellen over het verdere verhaal en over hoe Leila in de prostitutie terecht komt. Maar door de jaren heen raakt ze wel goed bevriend met een vijftal mensen. Daar is Sinan, haar jeugdvriend, Jamilla, een jonge Afrikaanse vrouw, Nalan, een transgender man, die nu als vrouw door het leven gaat, Zaynab122, de vrouw van Indiase afkomst die slecht 1.22 meter is. En Humeyra, de zangeres van een band.
Het boek begint als Leila in een container vermoord wordt gevonden. Na haar dood jan Leila echter nog 10 minuten en 38 seconden denken. En die tijd vertelt ze de verhalen over hoe ze de vijf vrienden heeft gevonden.
Het verhaal is erg indrukwekkend en echt heel goed geschreven. ( )

[b:10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World|43706466|10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World|Elif Shafak|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556019023l/43706466._SY75_.jpg|68011919] tells of the imagined last minutes of brain function, even after the murdered protagonist's heart has stopped. She recalls her life, her childhood in Van, Turkey, her move to Istanbul to escape sexual abuse, becoming a prostitute, her great love, D/Ali, and her five dear friends who support her in life and death. The friends are all displaced refugees and survivors of intolerance and poverty in a city which once strived to be a rich brew of many religions and lifestyles. The writing is exquisite, poetic and lively, even funny at times. The characters are richly realized. Ever present is its setting, the book is also a paean to the City of Istanbul. I was sorry to reach the end as it provided an addictive escape from pandemic election preoccupation. ( )

Memory outlasts fate, telling a story that reaches into the past. ( )

The first and second halves of this book are quite different from one another, and unfortunately if you like one part, chances are you won't like other.

The first part focuses on the life of a prostitute. Her life is "passing before her eyes" as she lays dying for the 10 minutes, 38 seconds in the title. Each minute has a new scene that starts with an evocative sensory memory. I enjoyed the story of Leila, her tough upbringing and mostly the descriptions of Istanbul.

Unfortunately, eventually her brain stops functioning and her five friends, about whom we know a minimal amount, are left to carry the story. And since we barely know about them and care little, the rest of the book comes across like a madcap escapade as the friends make it their mission to give Leila's dead body a more suitable resting place than the one designated by the city.

The very end moved this book from the two star to the three star realm for me, but overall I am a bit puzzled as to how it is on the Booker shortlist. I am going with the very strong descriptive writing about Istanbul itself as the driving force. ( )

This novel begins with a Turkish prostitute who has been murdered. As the last of life leaves her body, she recounts her story and the stories of her friends. And then her friends take the novel the rest of the way.

I really enjoyed this page turner. Easy reading but well-written, with interesting characters, who were sometimes caricatures and could have been more nuanced and developed. It's about acceptance, friendship, and the lives of misfits. This is definitely a woman-centric book and would be a great book club selection. It's doesn't do any favors for Muslim men. The authors own story is also interesting and worth reading up on. ( )