The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak - ISBN: 9780241986448
Paperback
A family curse, hidden secrets, and a past refusing to stay buried.

The Bastard of Istanbul

$19.43

  • Paperback

    368 pages

  • Release Date

    3 September 2019

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Summary

A breath-taking novel about a violent secret that threatens the peace of two interwoven families - now a Penguin Essential

One rainy afternoon in Istanbul a woman walks into a doctor’s surgery. ‘I want an abortion’, she announces. She is nineteen years old, and unmarried. What happens that afternoon is to change her life, and the lives of everyone around her.

Twenty years later, Asya Kazanci lives with her extended family in Istanbul. Due to a mysterious family curse all the m…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780241986448
ISBN-10:0241986443
Author:Elif Shafak
Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint:Penguin Books Ltd
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:368
Release Date:3 September 2019
Weight:201g
Dimensions:181mm x 112mm x 22mm
Series:Penguin Essentials
What They're Saying

Critics Review

A brave and passionate novel

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 *
Unquestionably an ambitious book, exuberant and teeming * Guardian *
Heartbreaking… the beauty of Islam pervades Shafak’s book * Vogue *

About The Author

Elif Shafak

  • Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist.
  • Her work has been translated into fifty-seven languages.
  • She is the author of twenty books, including fourteen novels.
  • Shafak is a bestselling author in many countries globally.
  • Her 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 prestigious awards such as the Booker Prize, the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the RSL Ondaatje Prize, and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.
  • 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.

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