Reviews

Every Fire You Tend by Sema Kaygusuz

half_book_and_co's review against another edition

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4.0

Kaygusuz’ novel, which was first published in Turkish in 2009 and translated last year into English by Nicholas Glastonbury, is inspired by her own grandmother. In its centre is the 1938 genocidal massacre in the Dersim region. It tells of the un-named protagonist (who might or might not be the narrator who tells the story in the second person) and her grandmother, Bese, who survived the massacre but it also packed with stories about the prophet Hızır and warrior king Zulqarnayn. Through this layered narration, Kaygusuz tells a story of memory, (gendered) violence, and cultural homogenisation. In his translator’s note, Glastonbury writes about the way Kaygusuz has used in parts an Ottoman Turkish, especially Arabic loanwords, and the complexity of these language choices. Every Fire You Tend is one of these novels one might pick up again and again and find new layers and allusions and meanings.

the_literarylinguist's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

katie_greenwinginmymouth's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

whatiread's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

naddie_reads's review against another edition

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4.5

You are my lot in life, you are my touch, my appetite. So why am I a wound, intensified in your absence? My nose is perpetually filled with the smell of burning, and I am scorched by every fire you tend. (pg 162, "Every Fire You Tend")

Translated from Turkish, "Every Fire You Tend" by Sema Kaygusuz is a beautifully written story about the burden a woman carries due to generational trauma due to the 1938 massacre of the Alev Kurds. Drawn from the author's grandmother's actual experience, "Every Fire You Tend" is in some ways autobiographical. The recurring motif of 'silence' repeated throughout is indicative of the massacre's lasting effects on the narrator's grandmother who has lived through the horrific time; the effects are not easy to overcome and are then subsequently passed on to her family members.

Alongside the narrator's loose storyline, this novel is also filled with symbolisms and allegories about Khidr/Hizir, a figure that most Muslims would recognize from the Quran. Hizir appears as the omnipresent figure that features in all of the grandmother's tales, as he & Bese (the narrator's grandmother) look over the ugliness of the world etc. The Alevi's beliefs of Hizir being 'alive' in the loosest sense and will always appear when they are called ("we are not gone, but we are called") forms one of the more intriguing aspects of this story, and I suspect that those who are steeped in the Alevi's lores would probably have a better appreciation of the nuances in this novel.

Words defy me to describe just how much I love Kaygusuz's writing; it's truly one of those reads that you would have to experience for yourself. There have been several titles published by Tilted Axis that have left me breathless with the author's excellent writing in recent years, and Every Fire You Tend will join the likes of I'll Go On & Abandon re: books I wish I could experience again for the first time. 

psantic's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

sasuke's review against another edition

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4.0

A disorienting story with many stories within stories, a poetic prose style and very atmospheric.

xxes13's review against another edition

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3.0

"Madem yerimizde duramıyoruz, bir sesli bir sessiz iki harf gibi yan yana, dokunaklı bir çığlığın hecesi olalım ikimiz."

thepoisonwoodreader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

cwgrieves's review against another edition

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5.0

This is a beautifully written book - an absolute gem. The blend of history, religion, and legend with gorgeous prose and an interesting framing works perfectly. I also learned more about some of the disturbing history of Turkey. Most of my knowledge of Turkish history has come from fiction (with the exception of [b:Turkey: The Insane and the Melancholy|29362326|Turkey The Insane and the Melancholy|Ece Temelkuran|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1459327971l/29362326._SY75_.jpg|49607740]) and I am incredibly grateful to [a:Sema Kaygusuz|2837087|Sema Kaygusuz|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1265269225p2/2837087.jpg] (as well as [a:Elif Shafak|6542440|Elif Shafak|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1395322919p2/6542440.jpg], [a:Burhan Sönmez|5444425|Burhan Sönmez|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1425636570p2/5444425.jpg] and [a:Ece Temelkuran|159553|Ece Temelkuran|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1397246746p2/159553.jpg]) for the brave work of writing about these issues given Turkey's current political climate.

At times, [b:Every Fire You Tend|43402243|Every Fire You Tend|Sema Kaygusuz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568287475l/43402243._SY75_.jpg|10358712] reminded me of [b:Freshwater|43268788|Freshwater|Akwaeke Emezi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559877876l/43268788._SY75_.jpg|56785192] by [a:Akwaeke Emezi|16944266|Akwaeke Emezi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1555895563p2/16944266.jpg] - although the two books have very different themes and styles. If it wasn't for [b:Girl, Woman, Other|41081373|Girl, Woman, Other|Bernardine Evaristo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542296262l/41081373._SY75_.jpg|64185267] by [a:Bernardine Evaristo|51051|Bernardine Evaristo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1267567621p2/51051.jpg], I think that this would probably be my favourite book of 2020 so far.

Also, don't skip the translator's note at the end of the book (in the Tilted Axis paperback edition). [a:Nicholas Glastonbury|18743975|Nicholas Glastonbury|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s discussion of the process of translating the book and his comments on some of the historical background to it are really interesting.