Award-winning Turkish novelist Buket Uzuner (author of “The Sound of Fishsteps”) takes a unique angle on the “novel-as-city-chronicle” concept when she makes the city of Istanbul itself her narrator. Telling the story from the city’s point of view allows Uzuner to keep both Istanbul’s history and its contemporary struggles front and center. Against the backdrop of the great city, protagonist Belgin returns to Istanbul after having spent years abroad in search of her true love, even as more minor characters – a maid, a businessman, and other Istanbullus from many strata of society – contribute their own stories to the city’s grand saga.
