FICTION:  Already an international bestseller, a lyrical and moving story ripped from the headlines that embodies the sweep and contradictions of modern Turkey and shows that lovely and unexpected things can happen in the space between wounded people.


Meryem, a teenage girl living in a rural village, is raped by her uncle, a sheikh in a dervish order. An outcast for shaming her family, she is locked in the cellar and expected to kill herself, but she is defiant. Her commando cousin Cermal, with whom she grew up, has returned a hero from fighting terrorists in the mountains. He is chosen to execute his cousin outside the town, telling her he is going to “take her to Istanbul.”


In Istanbul, Irfan, a media celebrity professor, revolts against the routine of his elite existence. He leaves his wife and charters a boat to sail the Aegean. By chance, his path crosses with that of Meryem and Cemal. They embark on a journey together that fills their hearts with hope and sets them free.