"A moving novel on the power of friendship in our darkest times, from internationally renowned writer and speaker Elif Shafak.
In
the pulsating moments after she has been murdered and left in a
dumpster outside Istanbul, Tequila Leila enters a state of heightened
awareness. Her heart has stopped beating but her brain is still
active-for 10 minutes 38 seconds. While the Turkish sun rises and her
friends sleep soundly nearby, she remembers her life-and the lives of
others, outcasts like her.
Tequila Leila's memories bring us
back to her childhood in the provinces, a highly oppressive milieu with
religion and traditions, shaped by a polygamous family with two mothers
and an increasingly authoritarian father. Escaping to Istanbul, Leila
makes her way into the sordid industry of sex trafficking, finding a
home in the city's historic Street of Brothels. This is a dark, violent
world, but Leila is tough and open to beauty, light, and the essential
bonds of friendship.
In Tequila Leila's death, the secrets and
wonders of modern Istanbul come to life, painted vividly by the
captivating tales of how Leila came to know and be loved by her friends.
As her epic journey to the afterlife comes to an end, it is her chosen
family who brings her story to a buoyant and breathtaking conclusion." (penguin.co.uk)
"Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist whose work has
been translated into 54 languages. The author of 19 books, 12 of which
are novels, she is a bestselling author in many countries around the
world. Shafak's latest novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World
was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and RSL Ondaatje Prize; longlisted
for the Dublin Literary Award; and chosen as Blackwell's Book of the
Year. Her previous novel, The Forty Rules of Love was chosen by the BBC
as one of 100 Novels That Shaped Our World. In 2021, Shafak's The
Architect's Apprentice was chosen for the Duchess of Cornwall's
inaugural book club, The Reading Room. Find out more about Elif Shafak
on her website: www.elifshafak.com."
(penguin.co.uk)