Turkey, 1999. A devastating earthquake brings Istanbul crumbling to the ground, ripping apart the fragile stability of Sinan's world. His family home becomes a makeshift tent in a camp run by Western missionaries whom he stubbornly distrusts, and he soon finds himself struggling to protect his family's honour and values. As he becomes a helpless witness to his daughter's dangerous infatuation with a young American, Sinan takes a series of drastic decisions with unforeseeable consequences. Cultures clash, political and religious tensions mount, and Sinan's actions spiral into a powerful and heartbreaking conclusion.

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I very much enjoyed reading this book - I found myself hooked to the story right from the beginning. There are so many different layers to this book - the culture differences, the consequences of the earthquake, the family's struggle, the love story... Highly recommended!
However, I'm still not quite satisfied with the ending, that's why I've rated this book with "only" 8 stars.

Bookring participants:

- LilyKlip
- Sheepseeker
- PeregrinTuk

How many times can a book break your heart? This one has done so after every turn of a page from a certain point onwards. It is beautifully written and describes the struggle of two families with the after effects of an earthquake and even more so with the clash of two very different cultures. I really liked that the author (an American) didn't take sides. As a reader I felt with all the characters (except the mother). All of them just try to do the right thing according to their morals and beliefs - unfortunately they are way too different not to collide.

As for the ending, well, it isn't likable I guess - but realistic - probably yes.

I will have to get my own copy of this one.

the book will now travel to sheepseeker

Arrived safely - thanks! I have another bookring on my TBR before I'll get to this one...

Wow, so much tragedy and heartbreak in this title! I had problems to get into the story in the beginning, but after about 50 pages I couldn't stop reading. Just like LilyClip I didn't like the mother much, but the other figures were easy to relate to. Well written!

Thanks for the bookring!

The book arrived. I'll try to read it soon :)

...This book was on a unplanned journey with me. I went on holidays to walk the "Camino" in Portugal and Spain, and accidently took it with me. It is now with me in Santiago de Compostela, has seen the Cathedral there and done a lot of other sightseing, and will now travel back home with me *lol* I put it in a plastic bag and tried to handle it carefully while it was in my backpack. I never intended to take it with me... it was meant only for the train journey to the town where I study (half-way on the way to the airport)...

...Now the book is home with me again. It travelled in my backpack about 240 kilometres while i was walking, and some more by plane and bus ;) I read it chapterwise, and I liked it very much, although the story was very sad to read sometimes. The ending was a realistic one, personally I prefer realistic endings to the 'happy ending'. I recommended the book to others already. I didn't like or dislike certain characters, because every character had their own struggles to deal with. I think the mothers relationship to her children wasn't worked out very much by the author, so the image I got of her was more superficial than that of the other characters. I wondered what happened to the American family in the end, I didn't like that this string of the story came to no conclusion. I liked that the book started slowly and then towards the end things happened faster and it was easy to get "into" the book and it was hard to put it down towards the end.

Thank you for letting me enjoy this book.

... ist gut zuhause angekommen, vielen Dank!