Reading fiction has always distracted my mind, but in a good way, to make me more focused on the work.
While I am juggling with a couple of tasks to finish writing my dissertation, I should either take up meditation or visit my old friend, literature. I took the path I know!
2022
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney. Youth, racing heart(s), and hesitant intimacies. With this debut novel and her plain style, she has implied her gigantic footsteps. Very nice to meet you, Rooney!
Ülker Abla (Turkish) by Seray Şahiner. I am an avid reader of Seray Şahiner, a very promising Turkish story writer / novelist. The plots in her books mainly revolve around oppressed, abused female characters in poverty. This book recounts the story of Ülker - who is indeed a spin-off character from Şahiner's most famous book, Antabus (Turkish). The idea sounds excellent, but Ülker Abla has come into being overall no different than a weekly magazine article. For me, it lacks depth and a refined style as if it were written in a hurry.
İmtiyaz - Yahut Cici Kızlara Bir Roman (Turkish) by Sezen Ünlüönen. I dived into this book when it was highly suggested by some people whose gut and vision I trust. The plot, which is centered around a main female character, hints itself a story of love and disappointments but ends with a feminist move, which unfortunately sounds too cliché.
Osman (Turkish) by Ayfer Tunç. I think Ayfer Tunç has presented an incredible character - Osman - to Turkish literature. I swallowed the 500-pages book in a relatively short time. You travel across various state of minds and witness how an affluent man, his close circle and a generation ruin their lives. Ayfer Tunç also shows how truth unfolds itself in different ways! It is a magnificent story. I am sure it will be in many languages soon and probably on screen sometime in the future.
