8 Best Books by Elif Shafak

I have always devoured the books of Turkish writer Elif Shafak. I deeply connect with the way she tells stories about people on the peripheries of society and gives a voice to those who are often overlooked or unheard. Her novels offer nuanced perspectives on complex questions of identity, belonging, history, culture and human connection, while resisting easy stereotypes.

I find Shafak’s writing emotionally sensitive and deeply compassionate. Her prose often reaches me on a deeper level, offering something that feels almost like a balm for the soul.

I have gathered here eight of my favourite books by Elif Shafak. If you are new to her work, I hope this list will offer a few places to begin and perhaps introduce you to some of the recurring themes that make her writing so meaningful to me.

10 MINUTES 38 SECONDS IN THIS STRANGE WORLD

The story of Leila, the main protagonist, celebrates the diversity and complexity of life and works as a calming balm for my own emotions. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World attempts to re-humanise the numbers—to restore humanity to people whose lives have been forgotten and whose names have been reduced to statistics.

The inspiration for the novel came from scientific research in which doctors observed persistent brain activity for several minutes after a patient’s heart stops beating. What happens to the human brain during this time becomes the basis for Leila’s story. We know from the very first sentences that Leila is dead. At the time of her death, she is in her forties and has worked as a prostitute in Istanbul. We discover almost immediately that she has been brutally murdered and that her body has been dumped in a rubbish bin, as a final insult to her humanity. Although Leila’s heart has stopped beating, her brain is still active.

As Leila remembers important moments from her life during these final few minutes, we journey through her past and through the story of her homeland, Turkey. Alongside Leila, we encounter the stories of outsiders and people living on the peripheries of society, including her friends, her “water family”. The tale of Leila and her friends is ultimately life-affirming. It celebrates diversity and inclusion and places particular value on friendship, solidarity and empathy. It emphasises the shared values that connect people rather than the differences that separate them.

I would recommend 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World to anyone interested in entering the world of “the other” for a while—to set aside preconceived ideas and see the world through the eyes of another human being with different values and life experiences. FULL REVIEW

THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak has become one of my favourite reads of the year and certainly one of my beloved books of all time. This beautifully written novel tells multiple stories of protagonists from different parts of the world, spanning centuries, all connected by a single drop of water which “has no regards for social status and royal titles”.

The novel focuses on marginalised communities and interconnectedness. It allows readers to discover the beauty and richness of Yazidi culture and traditions, while intertwining the ancient history and heritage of Mesopotamia with the present day. The presence of the Book of Gilgamesh is felt throughout the multilayered stories, highlighting the importance of keeping the stories and histories of marginalised communities alive. Shafak also highlights the living conditions of people living below the poverty line, showing how their opportunities for education and professional advancement can be limited by social status. The novel also explores the lives of people struggling with mental health problems and how access to support and help can be connected to their social status and that of their families. There Are Rivers in the Sky also explores the right of communities to retain the artefacts that form part of their history and cultural heritage, with the British Museum providing an important background to the story. I cannot recommend this book enough. I was going through a particularly difficult time in my personal life when I read it, and it helped me find refuge in the stories of Arthur, Zuleyka, Narin and ancient Mesopotamia.

During the weeks I was reading the novel, I visited the British Museum every Friday evening to look at the artefacts from Nineveh. I would sit there for as long as I could, reading There Are Rivers in the Sky with the Nineveh artefacts in the corner of my sight. This book warmed my heart and calmed my mind and soul. It inspired me and reminded me of how healing stories can be It brought me so much joy as a reader, introduced me to the beauty of Yazidi culture and ancient history, and gave me wonderful characters especially Arthur, who was based on a real person called George Smyth. Arthur felt particularly relatable to me in his personality, traits and character, as well as in many of his existential struggles. In my heart, Arthur will remain one of my ultimate literary heroes.

There Are Rivers in the Sky begins in Nineveh, described as being “lush with perfumed gardens, bubbling fountains, and irrigation canals”, where “water is both the harbinger of life and the messenger of death”. The ancient capital of the Assyrian Empire stood on the eastern bank of the Tigris and, in 640 BCE, was the world’s largest city, with 175,000 inhabitants. This is Mesopotamia under the learned and educated Librarian King Ashurbanipal. Under his reign, the region was transformed into a paradise, although he was also as cruel as his predecessors. His library was his favourite part of the palace and would become his legacy for future generations. The Ashurbanipal Library was flanked by two statues of hybrid creatures, half human, half animal, called lamassu, protective spirits who are referred to throughout the later stories of the protagonists. We learn about ancient Mesopotamian mythology, including Nisaba, the goddess of storytelling, whose name was consigned to oblivion because of her gender. The King believed that writing and stories needed a masculine patron, and Nabu became the official custodian of storytellers. Ashurbanipal conducted massacres, plunder and demolitions from the safety of his reading chamber. Poems and stories brought joy into his life.

This novel offers a lesson in not putting people in positions of power on a pedestal, regardless of how educated they are. Throughout history, there are many examples of leaders, both men and women, who were responsible for massacres and the most abhorrent crimes while being well-read at the same time. Empathy cannot always be learned. The tale begins with a single drop of rain, ensconced in the king’s hair, a drop which, “inconsequential though it may be compared with the magnitude of the universe, (…) holds the secret of infinity, [a] story uniquely its own.” Shafak reminds us that life on Earth would not be possible without water. Water is not a linear molecule—it is a bent molecule. “If water were linear, there would be no life on earth.” It becomes a reminder of the intricacies and complexities of human life and our connections to one another. FULL REVIEW

THE ISLAND OF MISSING TREES

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak is set in 1970s Cyprus and contemporary London in the 2010s. It is a tale narrated partly by a fig tree and partly by humans, exploring transgenerational trauma and the burden of the past on present and future generations. The novel examines how wars, pogroms, ethnic cleansing and borders drawn on a piece of paper at one point in history can continue to affect the lives of generations to come. Elif Shafak has created a beautiful tale of wonder and nostalgia, pointing towards the connections between the past, present and future, as well as between the physical and the spiritual. It is also a profoundly moving ode to the natural world—the world of non-human animals and plants. The author weaves together a stunning story filled with references to both Turkish and Greek Cypriot cultures. She connects the destruction of the natural world with the destruction caused by human ego and hatred.

The meaning of home, migration, memory, stories, being uprooted or rootless, human rights versus animal rights during times of war, fanaticism, nationalism, the passage of time, and the way sensitivity is often treated as a curse rather than a noble virtue all form part of the novel’s rich and diverse subject matter. The book also explores the suffering experienced on both sides of the conflict in 1970s Cyprus and offers an in-depth exploration of one of the most painful consequences of every conflict: missing persons. There are references not only to Cyprus, but also to events in Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, the Spanish Civil War, the Nuremberg trials, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Cambodia. When it comes to the darkest chapters of history, similarities can be found everywhere, regardless of place and time. The writing is sublime and lyrical, and the variety of topics brought together makes this a real feast for book lovers. I highly recommend this book.FULL REVIEW

THE FLEA PALACE

This novel revolves around the inhabitants of a run-down apartment block in Istanbul called Bonbon Palace, built by a Russian emigrant. There are many stories within the story. We encounter a diverse cast of characters from different social, ethnic and national backgrounds. The novel requires attention from the reader, incorporating insights into the anxieties and daily problems of the inhabitants of Bonbon Palace within the wider context of Istanbul—a living city and each inhabitant’s individual background.

Among them are identical twins, Cemal and Celal, who run a hair salon—one an extrovert and the other an introvert; the elderly Hadj Hadj, who loves telling stories to his grandchildren; another Russian immigrant, Nadia, and her husband Metin; and the narrator of the story, a philosophising academic professor. There is also a woman obsessed with cleanliness, among many others. Jewish, Muslim, Christian and atheist characters navigate questions of religion and secularism, as well as Western and Eastern thought. The Flea Palace is a microscope of Turkish society and offers a fascinating way of understanding Turkish identity. I really enjoyed this book. It is one of Shafak’s earlier novels, and it is interesting to see how her writing has evolved over the years.
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THE ARCHITECT’S APPRENTICE

Through a young apprentice, an Indian boy called Jahan, we travel to 16th-century Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire, under the reigns of three sultans: Suleyman, Selim and Murad. We meet many historical figures, including Mimar Sinan, the famed architect of the era who was responsible for the construction of more than 300 buildings, including the Suleymaniye Mosque, the Selimiye Mosque, the Mehmed Pasha Mosque and the bridge over the Drina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. With Jahan, we also travel to 16th-century Rome and Agra in India during the time of the construction of the Taj Mahal. We learn about the Ottoman Empire and Mughal India.

The Architect’s Apprentice resembles One Thousand and One Nights, consisting of many interconnected vignettes. The language is poetic, elegant, sublime and imaginative, and the mixture of historical fact and fiction is remarkable. The novel combines history, architectural details, mythology, spirituality, magic and adventure. At its heart is a meeting between Western and Eastern cultures and philosophical thought. We observe the fascinating world of Ottoman Istanbul through the eyes of an immigrant, Jahan. The discrimination faced by minority groups such as the Romany is respectfully depicted, while the position of women in patriarchal society is explored in an interesting and nuanced way. This book brought so much peace to my soul. The writing is uniquely beautiful and rich in detail, allowing the reader to travel to the magical reality of ancient Istanbul and other corners of the world.

THREE DAUGHTERS OF EVE

Three Daughters of Eve tackles many different topics, including religion—or rather, the meaning of God in one’s life—how cultural and political circumstances shape individual lives, and the position of women in Eastern and Western societies. The story provides an insight into Turkey’s turbulent past, including the military coup of the 1980s and what life was like under military rule. There are descriptions of house searches, torture and imprisonment of individuals for holding opinions different from those accepted by the government and society. We also see what years of torture, imprisonment and humiliation can do to an individual.

All of this is intertwined with reflections on religious beliefs in Muslim society. We observe how members of the same family can follow very different paths: one towards extreme views on religion and national identity, and another towards liberal values, secularism and idealism. We witness contemporary Istanbul as well as Western life through the protagonist Peri, who experiences life as an immigrant in Oxford and the challenges it creates for her identity. During her student years in England, Peri is exposed to conflicting views on God, religion and the meaning of life. At Oxford University, she shares a house with two other young women: Shirin, “the Sinner”, a non-religious British Iranian whose views could often be considered anti-religious; and Mona, “the Believer”, an Egyptian American student who is a devoted Muslim and proud of her cultural and religious heritage. Peri, “the Confused”, is the one who questions and doubts. She does not believe in absolutism or certainty and is closer to what we might describe as agnosticism. Three Daughters of Eve offers an interesting exploration of religion, women’s position in society, and cultural and national identity. FULL REVIEW

THE BASTARD OF ISTANBUL

The Bastard of Istanbul is a beautiful, rich and evocative tale of Turkish and Armenian families coming to terms with their painful past, rooted in the Armenian genocide of the early 20th century. The novel grapples with Turkey’s dark legacies, yet the writing is compassionate, spirited and, at the same time, exuberant and life-affirming.

One of the main themes of the book is the way in which the past conditions the present, particularly the impact that history and past atrocities can have on future generations. Historical trauma can be passed from one generation to the next and significantly influence an individual’s life. While reading this book, one can imagine being in Istanbul, immersed in its colours, smells, sounds and history. The incorporation of recipes and anecdotes associated with the city’s traditions and culture allows readers to understand a broader reality—or, rather, the multiple realities of the inhabitants of this magical city.

This is also a tale about the importance of multiple identities, especially when one feels torn between different sides, unable to belong entirely to one place or choose a single identity. If you are interested in historical trauma and its connection to the future, multiple identities, or the consequences of losing cosmopolitan heritage for social norms and attitudes, I would highly recommend The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak. FULL REVIEW

HOW TO STAY SANE IN AN AGE OF DIVISION

This book offers a thoughtful, emotionally sensitive and compelling exploration of the state of the world and the society we live in. It is, above all, a lesson in profound empathy. My own words would not do justice to this little book, so I would recommend getting yourself a copy. It is just under 100 pages and can be read within a few hours.

There are many reflections on anxiety, identity, tribalism, belonging, freedom of speech, apathy, the meaning of “normal” and “information”, democracy, and the feelings of disillusionment so present in our communities. As usual with Elif Shafak, the writing provides plenty of food for thought. It is nuanced and multi-layered, resisting simplicity and focusing on the emotions and diversity of life in all its complexity.

To finish, I will use a passage from this book that moved me profoundly:

“The question ‘where are you from?’ has always mattered to me, and felt deeply personal, albeit equally complicated. For a long time it was the one question I dreaded being asked. ‘I am from multiple places’, I wanted to be able to say in return. (…) But even if I could offer this answer it would probably fail to satisfy the person who has posed the question in the first place. ‘Yes, but where are you really from?’ they would insist. I knew the format. Questionnaire style. You could only fit one word in that box, no more. In an age of speed, simplicity and fleeting glimpses, few people had either the time or the patience for long answers. So I would simply say ‘Turkey’, and they would nod, satisfied. ‘Yeah, I thought I had heard it in your accent’.

THE FORTY RULES OF LOVE

The Forty Rules of Love follows the lives of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz in the 13th century, intertwined with the story of Ella, a forty-something woman living in contemporary times.

For me, the story of Shams of Tabriz and the Persian poet Rumi was the highlight of the book. The novel is a poetic exploration of Sufism and its tenets. The beautiful writing and nuanced descriptions of Rumi’s personality from different perspectives make this book a real delight to read. The portrayal of women in 13th-century Konya is rich in detail and provides an interesting foundation for further reflection.

I enjoyed this book and think it is a wonderful book to give as a gift. It makes for a pleasant and gentle read.