10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

 Elif Shafak

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Initial Impression
Having never read anything by Elif Shafak before, I went into this book with no expectations. That said, I’d heard so many good things about both the story and the writing. It’s been sitting on my TBR for a while, so I was excited to finally dive in.

Summary
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World opens with the death of its protagonist, Tequila Leila, whose body is found in a metal rubbish bin on the outskirts of Istanbul. Despite her heart having stopped, her brain remains active for ten minutes and thirty-eight seconds. During that time, her consciousness drifts like a tide pulling away from the shore, and her memories come flooding back, blurring the boundaries of time.

In these final moments, Leila revisits key episodes from her life: her birth in the city of Van, her father’s rejection for not being a boy, and being raised by his first wife as an “auntie” to her own self. She remembers the loneliness of her childhood, the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her uncle, and the way her religiously conservative family pulled her out of school. Eventually, she runs away to Istanbul with just five lira and twenty kurush in her pocket.

In Istanbul, Leila is forced into sex work, sold to a brothel by hustlers. Life in the red-light district is unforgiving, but she finds a love interest, and that is D/Ali, a leftist artist and student. Their relationship shows a rare moment of tenderness and equality, until it’s shattered due to a grave event.

The novel unfolds like a series of vivid memories, with each chapter peeling back a layer of Leila’s life as we inch closer to understanding her murder. It is more like the story going backwards to understand what happened. The central themes—memory, identity, belonging, and chosen family—are explored with raw honesty and compassion.

Characters
Shafak develops her characters through a rich, non-linear lens, revealing their inner worlds and traumas while grounding them in Istanbul’s complex social fabric.

Tequila Leila is the heart of the novel. Her final minutes are filled with memories that reveal a life marked by pain, strength, and love.

D/Ali is Leila’s great love. A politically active artist from a Turkish-German guest worker family, his untimely death haunts her.

Nostalgia Nalan is a trans woman and one of Leila’s five closest friends, who plays a key role in trying to give her a proper burial.

Sabotage Sinan is Leila’s childhood friend from Van. Bookish and gentle, he was her earliest ally, sneaking her books and news like a "sabotage radio".

Jameelah is a young Somali woman trafficked to Istanbul and forced into sex work. She meets Leila at a venereal disease hospital.

Zaynab122 is a spirited Arab woman with dwarfism. She defies expectations and reads fortunes in coffee grounds.

Hollywood Humeyra is a nightclub singer who fled an abusive marriage. Her new identity is both a shield and a reinvention.

These five friends represent Leila’s chosen family—the ones who stood by her when the rest of the world turned away.

Writing Style
This was my first time reading Elif Shafak, and I didn’t know what to expect. Her writing is layered, lyrical, and deeply immersive. She weaves personal stories with social critique, often using a fragmented, non-linear narrative. While I usually don’t enjoy that structure, I found myself pulled in by the beauty of her prose and the emotional weight behind it.

Setting and Atmosphere
Set in Istanbul, the novel breathes life into the city through vivid sensory details—smells of tobacco, sweat, fried food, and perfume. Shafak calls Istanbul a “she-city,” and this feminine portrayal adds texture to a setting that's both brutal and beautiful.

The city itself becomes a character: oppressive, chaotic, but also a place of unexpected grace. Whether it's the brothel, Leila’s modest apartment, or the shadowy streets, every place is infused with memory and meaning.

Overall Impression
This is a novel that stays with you at least for some time. It explores resilience, the search for dignity, and the power of chosen family with heartbreaking honesty. Shafak doesn’t shy away from hard truths—violence, societal rejection, abuse—but she also highlights moments of love, solidarity, and human connection. This is something that I really appreciated in the book.

The story’s emotional impact comes not just from Leila’s journey, but from the strength of the bonds she forms with others who, like her, live on the margins. This makes it a great choice if you are looking for a character-driven story. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World is thought-provoking, painful, and unexpectedly hopeful.

Key Themes

• Death and the Afterlife
• Memory and Trauma
• Identity and Belonging
• Chosen Family vs. Biological Family
• Resilience and Survival