Bliss: A Novel

Fifteen-year-old Meryem lives in a rural village in Eastern Anatolia Turkey. Her simple conventional way of life changes dramatically after her uncle a sheikh in a dervish order rapes her―and condemns her to death for shaming the family. Asked to carry out the honor killing is his son Cemal a commando in the Turkish army. So begins a long mystifying voyage for Meryem as her shell-shocked cousin ushers her to the shining metropolis of Istanbul where another troubled soul the Harvard-educated professor Irfan embarks on his own journey of transformation―one that catapults him into the heart of Meryem and Cemals conflict. The crossed-paths and interwoven destinies of these three characters makes for an affecting by turns brutal and life-affirming portrayal of traditional and modern-day Turkey that no reader will soon forget.Livaneli is an essential force in Turkeys musical cultural and political scene.--Orhan Pamuk Nobel Prize Winner and author of SnowBliss is eye-opening and deeply moving.--Kirkus Reviews (starred) Compelling [for] American readers …hard to put down.--The Cleveland Plain DealerWith lush scenes of Turkish life and nuanced depictions of the [characters] inner lives. . .a convergence of lost likable souls.--Entertainment WeeklyO. Z. Livaneli one of Turkeys most prominent authors is also an accomplished composer and previously served as an elected member of the Turkish Parliament.