The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
One rainy afternoon in Istanbul, a woman walks into a doctor's surgery. 'I need to have an abortion', she announces. She is nineteen years old and unmarried. What happens that afternoon will change her life. Twenty years later, Asya Kazanci lives with her extended family in Istanbul.
Unquestionably an ambitious book, exuberant and teeming. . a novel crammed with characters and themes, not unlike Istanbul itself * Guardian *
Wonderfully magical, incredible, breathtaking . . . will have you gasping with disbelief in the last few pages * Sunday Express *
Heartbreaking . . . the beauty of Islam pervades Shafak's book * Vogue *
A writer whose artistry matches her ambition . . . she has taken on a subject of deep moral consequence * New York Times *
A brave and passionate novel * Paul Theroux *
Tremendous exuberance . . . I do like a writer with a purpose * Margaret Forster *
An astonishingly rich and lively story ... handled with an enchantingly light touch' * Kirkus Reviews *
Overflows with a kitchen sink's worth of zany characters ... an entertaining and insightful ensemble novel that posits the universality of family, culture and coincidence -- (starred review) * Publishers Weekly *
Wonderfully magical, incredible, breathtaking . . . will have you gasping with disbelief in the last few pages * Sunday Express *
Heartbreaking . . . the beauty of Islam pervades Shafak's book * Vogue *
A writer whose artistry matches her ambition . . . she has taken on a subject of deep moral consequence * New York Times *
A brave and passionate novel * Paul Theroux *
Tremendous exuberance . . . I do like a writer with a purpose * Margaret Forster *
An astonishingly rich and lively story ... handled with an enchantingly light touch' * Kirkus Reviews *
Overflows with a kitchen sink's worth of zany characters ... an entertaining and insightful ensemble novel that posits the universality of family, culture and coincidence -- (starred review) * Publishers Weekly *
Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist, whose work has been translated into fifty-seven languages. The author of twenty books, fourteen of which are novels, she is a bestselling author in many countries around the world. Shafak's previous novel, THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY, was the UK’s bestselling literary hardback novel of 2025, selling over 500,000 copies. Her work has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the RSL Ondaatje Prize and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, amongst others, and she is currently nominated for ‘Author of the Year’ at the British Book Awards. Elif Shafak was appointed President of the Royal Society of Literature in 2025. Her books have sold several million copies worldwide.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780241972908 |
| ISBN 10 | 0241972906 |
| Title | The Bastard of Istanbul |
| Author | Elif Shafak |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2015-04-30 |
| Number of pages | 368 |
| Prizes | Long-listed for Orange Prize for Fiction. |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |