Honour

Elif Shafak — 2013

'My mother died twice. I promised myself I would not let her story be forgotten . . .' Pembe and Adem Toprak leave Turkey for London. There they make new lives for their family. Yet the traditions and beliefs of their home come with them - carried in the blood of their children, Iskender and Esma. Trapped by past mistakes, the Toprak children find their lives torn apart and transformed by a brutal and chilling crime. Set in Turkey and London in the 1970s, Honour explores pain and loss, loyalty and betrayal, the clash of tradition and modernity, as well as the love and heartbreak that can tear any family apart. Praise for Elif Shafak: 'Vivid storytelling, a gripping novel . . . scenes blaze with the force of parable.' Sunday Telegraph 'A stunning novel. Exotic, evocative and utterly gripping.' The Times 'Moving, subtle and ultimately hopeful, Honour is further proof that Shafak is the most exciting Turkish novelist to reach western readers in years.' Irish Times 'Extraordinarily skilfully crafted . . . with Shakespearean twists and turns, omens and enigmas, prophecies and destinies.' Independent

Reviews

Safiya @safiya-epub

Jan 25, 2022

Oh well I don't know what kept me reading it avidly, 2020 getting nearer while I am late on my yearly challenge, or it was again Elif's storytelling. It's terribly genius, that I hate to admit it ... I was caught off-guard more than I thought I would... Appalled! Same themes: - Women: 'Modesty is a woman’s only shield,’ she said. ‘Bear this in mind: if you lose that, you will be worth no more than a chipped' - Religion: 'Forget angry tigers, we don’t learn anything from them. We learn from humans. When you meet different person, another name, another religion, that’s all good. We learn from difference, not from sameness.' - Social Norms: 'Secrets were a luxury only the rich could afford, and in this village, named Mala Çar Bayan, ‘House of Four Winds’, no one was rich. ' - Love: 'Human nature being what it is, we hate most those we love most.' ‘There are two things in this world that make a man out of a boy. The first is the love of a woman. The second is the hatred of another man.’ - Family: ‘Some children are like the Euphrates, so fast, so rowdy. Their parents cannot catch up with them. I’m afraid your son will break your heart to pieces.’ It felt like reading Khaled Hosseini for a while ...