First published 2019
Nunu stands outside a Parisian bookstore when she encounters M., the British author whose Istanbul novels she has long cherished. Following her mother's recent death, she has relocated from Turkey to a cramped Paris flat. Their chance meeting sparks an unconventional bond built on lengthy city strolls and quirky letters. M. is crafting a fresh novel about Turkey, and Nunu eagerly shares family stories to fuel his creativity. She describes perfect childhood landscapes, magical dinners, and elaborate games from her youth. Yet as their connection strengthens, darker truths surface about her parents' deaths and Turkey's political turmoil. Nunu grows increasingly anxious about exposing too much of herself and her homeland to M. She wrestles with buried shame regarding her mother and the protective stories she has constructed around painful memories. The friendship forces her to examine what she has hidden from herself.
Genres: literary-fiction, friendship, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Paris, Turkey
Period: Contemporary
224 pages · Paperback · Riverhead
Content warnings: mental-illness