Book Review: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak

A novel that reaffirms one’s faith in friendship, kindness and solidarity, especially during troubled times.

‘10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world’ is the 17th book penned by Elif Shafak. It was shortlisted for the widely acclaimed Booker Prize (2019) but that was not the reason why I decided to read it.When I first picked up this book, it was out of curiosity about the title. I flipped to the back cover and I was gripped; it read,

“What if, after the moment of death, the human mind continues to work for a few more precious minutes?”

What is the book about?

Let me announce if it’s not already clear that when the novel begins, Tequila Leila, a sex worker in Istanbul, is already dead but her mind is not. Her mind continues to hark back on the events in her life exactly up to ten minutes and thirty-eight seconds. With every passing minute, her mind recalls the forgotten and unforgotten memories almost unburdening itself for the final journey.

It would be unfair to say that the novel is just about Leila. It begins as a story of a girl born in a traditional Turkish family in Van and ultimately gains impetus through the interwoven stories of five outcasts- Sabotage Sinan, Nostalgia Nalan, Jameelah, Zaynab122 and Hollywood Humeyra.

“A good water family could wash away the hurt and pain collected inside like black soot.”

These five people are misfits and social rejects pushed to the margins by the society in the broken city of Istanbul. They are Leila’s water family, a family she chooses. Together, they create a space for happiness that was denied to them by the society.

What to expect?

The story is dipped in hues of one issue after another so in the end it’s almost impossible to pick just one. Through the backstories of Leila’s five friends and a few other characters, Shafak brings a diversity of culture, thought and emotion to the story.

She manages to weave in unison the difficult issues and taboo topics of child abuse, domestic violence, transphobia, gender inequality, sexual slavery, human trafficking, mental illness and physical disability. In attempting this onerous task Shafak creates a bridge for common experience and allows us to see how we are together in all the problems we face.

Despite their rushed descriptions, the characters own their voice and grow through their journey in learning to respect each other’s opinions. The admirable part for me was the fact that there wasn’t a moment in the story where one would feel that the author is giving a lesson in moral values or dictating her views.

How does the plot flow?

Elif Shafak stays true to being a brilliant author and activist which is evident through her choice of narrative structure to explore the intriguing premise. The novel opens with a small section labeled as ‘The End’ and is then divided into three parts: The Mind, The Body and The Soul.

The Mind: In this first part, Leila’s mind drifts through her memories minute by minute. The tastes and smells of salt, lemon and sugar, watermelon, spiced goat stew, soil, sulphuric acid, chocolate bonbons, etc. invoke happy as well as sad memories in an episodic manner. This sensory memory drives the flow of the story up to the last eight seconds after which Leila’s mind ceases to be.

“As the tastes of lemon and sugar melted on her tongue, so too her feelings dissolved into confusion…she realized that things were not always what they seemed. Just as the sour could hide beneath the sweet, or vice versa, within every sane mind there was a trace of insanity, and within the depths of madness glimmered a seed of lucidity.”

The Body: In this part, Leila no longer contemplates and the focus shifts to her physical body. The transition of focus from the mind to the body is smooth but it raises the question of burial of an unclaimed body. The state doesn’t permit anyone apart from the blood family to claim their dead and so we follow the eventful desperation of the undesirable five to find Leila’s body even as they grieve the loss of a dear friend.

“Funerals are for the living, that’s for sure. It’s important to organize a decent burial. Otherwise you can never heal inside, don’t you think?”

The Soul: The day that Leila was born, a blue betta fish in their house was freed from being caged in a glass bowl. It is for the reader to find whether Leila escapes her end in the Cemetery of the Companionless which is a real place in Kilyos.

“Unbeknownst to tourists and even many locals, there was a burial ground in Kilyos- one of a kind. It was reserved for three types of dead: the unwanted, the unworthy and the unidentified.”

What are the themes in the novel?

Friendship and solidarity is undoubtedly the most dominant theme in the novel. After the betrayal from her blood family, Leila finds happiness and love in the company of her friends. They develop a strong bond through mutual acts of kindness and support.

“We must do what we can to mend our lives, we owe that to ourselves – but we need to be careful not to break others while achieving that.”

Even after her death, the five friends show unwavering loyalty in giving her a funeral she deserved. The story reaffirms and gives hope to all those who have not been fortunate in being born in a loving and supportive family.

Some other themes persistent in the novel are:

• Social rejection
• Homesickness
• Time in timelessness
• Sensory memory
• Social taboos
• Voice of the voiceless

A note to the 2021 reader

‘10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World’ is an engaging read. It’s a novel that reaffirms one’s faith in friendship, kindness and solidarity, especially during troubled times. I recommend this book to all those who have borne the brunt of the COVID-19.

2020 was a year that cut us off from our social lives and this is especially true for the countries that went through a complete lockdown. The lockdown, quarantine, and fear of the pandemic made us more virtual than we already were.

It was a difficult transition for many as the process led to isolation, alienation, and even depression. Now, the challenge is to socialize after being accustomed to a virtual existence. By reminding you about the pleasure of being in the company of friends, this book will help you recall and revive old connections while being open to new ones.

On the seriousness of fiction

It comes as a shock that the Turkish authorities are investigating Shafak and her writings for choosing to write about sexual violence. This novel is a strong work by a person who is an author as well as an activist. Nothing other than fear of action that leads to change has driven the authorities to launch an investigation on a work of fiction.

In the final note to the readers, Elif Shafak writes,

“Many things in this book are true and everything is fiction.”

The humanizing tale of Leila and her friends is fiction born from the harsh realities in Turkey.