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hearingtrumpet's review against another edition
4.0
Even when I try to take a break from trauma, it finds me anyways. Kaygusuz explores beautifully the spaces separating the silence of the survivors from the unanswered questions of those who although never experienced them, carry these tragedies within themselves. The novel was inspired by the real life story of Kaygusuz´s grandmother who survived the Dersim massacre of Alevi Kurds in 1938. It is a piece of history I had absolutely no knowledge of, but the writer´s purpose wasn´t to recount the horrors themselves, but explore its after-effects for a generation only familiar with it through stories of others. She uses the faith of her grandmother (focused on the elusive figure of Hizir) as well as a number of folk tales to guide the reader and to try to capture the inexplicable. She writes in a wonderfully anachronistic and poetic languages, that albeit sometimes appears a little inaccessible, only confirms the assumption, that these experiences can only be approximated, but never really named.
ikapoo's review against another edition
2.0
Jag förstod mig tyvärr inte alls på den här boken. Det kändes oerhört konstlat med den inre rösten som talade i jag-form och historien gick inte alls fram till mig.
dreesreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Knowledge of Turkish history/customs/traditions would be very helpful when reading this! It was a struggle for me, I did a lot of googling. The Afterword and Translator’s note are worth reading first! I would have if I knew they were there—this edition has no ToC.
charlottesometimes's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
rubyouns's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
very lyrical writing and I enjoyed learning more about Turkish myths/ folk stories, but it was also quite fragmented and hard to follow. It would be interesting to reread this in case a lot of it just went over my head when I read it
misty_kb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, and War
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape
eliathereader's review against another edition
2.0
Pek bir bağ kuramadım kitapla bana çok dağınık geldi ve sürekli olarak efsaneler, mitler ve başka olaylar hakkında bir şeyler anlatma çabasından hoşlanmadım
nayha_w's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
birokurgunlugu's review against another edition
3.0
Ben galiba Sema Kaygusuz’un öykülerini daha çok seviyorum. Romanları biraz dağınık ve karışık geliyor. Bu kitapta bir de Storytel’den dinleyerek başlamak gibi bir gaflete düştüm. Biraz dinledikten sonra baktım olmuyor okuyarak devam etmeye çalıştım. Yine de çok beklediğim gibi olmadı.