I have heard so much about this author, but this is the first novel I have read by her, and I am not disappointed. It is a great story set in a strange world. Shafak has managed to take the ordinary and sad stories of five of Tequila Leila’s friends and turn them into a magnificent tale. It is said that when you die, your life passes before you just before death comes. In this story, however, it is a matter of 10 minutes and 38 seconds, during which brain activity still exists. For each of these minutes, we get a glimpse into Leila’s life, her family, and her friends. Although the chapters are short, each gives us an important part of her life: her memories, both good and bad, and the friends who made her life worth living. “PElif erhaps her home was not where she was born but where she chose to die” Leila’s story The story begins with Leila’s death. We are told that her body has been abandoned in a rubbish bin in Istanbul. From here, her story unfolds, taking us back to her childhood in Van, Turkey, where she grows up in a conservative, religious family, surrounded by the expectations and restrictions placed, above all, on the women in the family. When she can no longer take it, she runs away to Istanbul, hoping for a better life. Instead, circumstances lead her to become a sex worker under the name Tequila Leila. “Sometimes where you feel most safe is where you least belong.” In spite of everything, she finds something in Istanbul that was missing from her family life: friendship and a sense of belonging. Her new friends become close, and the group sticks together, helping one another whenever needed. Each comes from a different background and, in some way, is an outsider. Sabotage Sinan: Leila’s oldest childhood friend, who finds her again in Istanbul. Nostalgia Nalan: A brave transgender woman who escaped an unwanted marriage. Hollywood Humeyra: A nightclub singer hiding from an abusive partner. Zaynab122: A short woman who faces discrimination because of her height. Jameelah: A Somali refugee and part of their tight-knit group of outcasts. Through Leila’s memories, relationships, and work, we get a glimpse of the political and social realities of Istanbul: violence against women, poverty, discrimination, migration, religion, and, above all, the way society marginalises people who do not fit into conventional ideas of how life should be lived. This is not only true of Istanbul, but perhaps of societies everywhere. Leila’s death Even after her death, Leila is mistreated because of the life she lived. Her family does not want to arrange her burial, and her friends are not allowed to bury her. She is destined for the Cemetery of the Abandoned, where her grave is marked only by a number. “What was love if it wasn’t nursing someone else’s pain as if it were your own?” Her friends refuse to accept the restrictions placed on them by society and come up with a plan to give Leila a proper burial. In doing so, they gain a sense of freedom: the freedom to exercise some control over their own lives and to honour the friend they loved. “Nostalgia Nalan believed there were two families in this world: relatives formed blood family; and friends, the water family.If your blood family happened to be nice and caring, you could count your lucky stars and make the most of it; and if not, there was still hope; things could take a turn for the better once you are old enough to leave your home sour home.As for the water family, this was formed much later in life and was, to a large extent, of your own making. While it was true that nothing could take the place of a loving, happy blood family, in the absence of one, a good water family could wash away the hurt and pain collected inside like black soot. It is therefore possible for your friends to have a treasured place in your heart, and occupy a bigger space than all your kin combined. But those who had never experienced what it felt like to be spurned by their own relatives would not understand this truth in a million years. They would never know that there were times when water ran thicker than blood.” The novel argues that a person’s life is more than their social standing or society’s judgment of them. The cruel fate is that, even in death, the circumstances of your life can continue to define you. Even if Leila did not leave a mark on society during her lifetime, she lives on through the memories of her friends. A remarkable book, with beautiful prose. The characters tell the story, and although it sometimes feels as though we are only glimpsing fragments of their lives, they become so vivid that they stay with you long after you have finished the book. “In the desert of life, the fool travels alone and the wise by caravan.”

Recently, I read Perrin’s novel Forgotten on Sunday. It is a lovely little book about a nurse and her life, happiness and sorrows. I really liked Perrin’s prose and every line seems to be beautifully written, even in translation. I have had her latest book Fresh Water for Flowers on my shelf, and since it seems to be a good summer read, I took it with me while travelling. Violette Toussaint is the caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in Bourgogne. Random visitors, regulars, and, most notably, her colleagues—three gravediggers, three groundskeepers, and a priest—visit her as often as possible to warm themselves in her lodge, where laughter, companionship, and occasional tears mix with the coffee that she offers them. Her daily life is lived to the rhythms of their hilarious and touching confidences. Violette’s routine is disrupted one day by the arrival of a man—Julien Sole, local police chief—who insists on depositing the ashes of his recently departed mother on the gravesite of a complete stranger. It soon becomes clear that the grave Julien is looking for belongs to his mother’s one-time lover, and that his mother’s story of clandestine love is intertwined with Violette’s own secret past. With Fresh Water for Flowers, Valérie Perrin has given readers a funny, moving, intimately told story of a woman who believes obstinately in happiness. Perrin has the rare talent of illuminating what is exceptional and poetic in what seems ordinary. A #1 best-seller in France, Fresh Water for Flowers is a delightful, atmospheric, absorbing fairy tale full of poetry, generosity, and warmth. After having read two of her books, it seems that Perrin is fond of looking at family relationships from different angles. I think her books probably contain characters that are recognisable to everyone. Her stories are about everyday life— the good and the bad, the fun and the boring. I don’t really want to give away any spoilers, so I will just say that Violette is a person with integrity. It might not seem so at the beginning, but as the story unfolds, our opinion of her changes. As with Forgotten on Sunday, there is a sort of mystery woven into the story. As we follow Violette’s life, we also get glimpses of something else. Not everything is what it seem to be. The beautiful prose is there, and it is a pleasure to read. Perrin’s way of approaching her characters is exquisite, and they are very well developed, even those we don’t meet very often. It is a fascinating story about how we all have to find our way in life, overcome the sad times, and try to find a reason for living. I found the book slightly too long, which does not mean that it was boring—far from it. But I felt that the story could have been told in fewer chapters. As Violette works at a cemetery, there is a strong connection between life and death, and how they affect people. A lot of surprising characters come to visit Violette at work. I often find cemeteries to be peaceful places, and Perrin manages to make the cemetery one of the main characters in the story. She gives us wonderful stories about its “inhabitants”, as well as about the people who work there. A story to be charmed by, but also one that makes you ponder life and death. “It’s a luxury to be the owner of one’s time. I think it’s one of the greatest luxuries human beings can afford themselves.” “You must learn to be generous with your absence to those who haven’t understood the importance of your presence.” “We think that death is an absence, when in fact it’s a secret presence.” “We never meet people by chance. They are destined to cross our paths for a reason.” Quotes from Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin I think this is only my second book that will go into Big Books of Summer. Far away from the 10 I was hoping to read. Reading has been very slow, but at least I managed two books, and they are even from my TBR shelves.

Better late than never, so here another post about France for Paris in July, 2026, hosted by Emma @ Wordsanpeace. The reading has been slow but I have been to a couple of art exhibitions lately. This one is from the famous modern art museum in Denmark, Louisiana. I was invited by a friend of mine and we took the car, went over the bridge and drove over to this museum, beautifully situated along the eastern coast of Själland. I am not very fond of modern art, but Louisiana tends to always have good exhibitions, that also I enjoy. This time we enjoyed two exhibitions; Sophie Calle and Lucian Freud. I had recently read something about Lucian Freud, so it just seemed perfect to have a look at his work. We started with Sophie Calle, who is a French writer, photographer, installation and conceptual artist. She is known for using ‘arbitrary sets of constraints’. Her work depicts human vulnerability, and examines identity and intimacy. Quite unusual, she is also famous for her ‘detective-like tendency’ to follow strangers and investigate their private lives. It does not sound too nice, but, as I saw in the exhibition, it gives unexpected life to everyday events. Her photographic work often includes panels of text which she writes to fit into the photograph taken. Needless to say, I have never heard of her, but must admit that I was totally fascinated by her art. She has had exhibitions all over the world and seems to be an artist with many talents, always renewing herself. I was fascinated by her photographs, where, in front is a piece of material with a text on it, and when you lift the material, there is a photo. You read the text, and when you see the photo you are overwhelmed by the cleverness, seriousness and ideas that she comes up with. I could have taken a photo of each of these ‘paintings’ and there must have been around 30, but I only took one, and here it is. The rest of the exhibition was as great. I have a weak spot for photographic exhibitions so this was a perfect one. We continued to the Lucian Freud (1922-2011) one. I don’t know very much about his art, and I cannot say that all is to my liking. Freud specialised in figurative art and known as one of the foremost 20th century English portraitists. Early on he was influenced by surrealism which continued into expressionism. However, in the 1950s his paintings tended to go towards realism. He was a very private person and his portraits are mostly of friends and family. The paintings often go towards, what I would call, horror like images or backgrounds. It is often interiors or urban landscapes. He is also famous for a close examination of the relationships between artist and model. There are many models who had to sit for long sittings, not always comfortable. Here is one of the paintings that I did like. It is a self portrait. There are a few more permanent exhibitions to see. We had a nice lunch and there is a huge park where you can walk around in. It is a lovely museum to visit, so if you are passing by, it is well worth a visit.

The Content Reader is a blog about books and reading. Here you find reviews and discussions on anything bookish. If you want to contact me, use the forms on the HOME page. Contact information First name* Last name Email* Additional information Submit

My blog is about books and reading, reviews and discussions on anything bookish. Under this label you find some information about myself. My Story I am Lisbeth Ekelof, an expat Swede, who returned to Sweden in 2018. My expat years were very interesting, enjoying life in different countries and cultures, including a lot of adventures. Always interested in reading, I started my blog at the end of 2012, just before early retirement. It has been a wonderful journey, exchanging views on books and reading with the international blogging community. I published my first post on 24 October 2012. I love your comments and try to answer all of them. I do accept reviewing books on demand, depending on my time schedule. Please use contact form to get in touch. “Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.” Virginia Woolf