From Goodreads
'In the first minute following her death, Leila's consciousness began to ebb, slowly and steadily, like a tide receding from the shore. Her brain cells, having run out of blood, were now completely deprived of oxygen. But they did not shut down. Not right away...'
Our brains stay active for ten minutes after our heart stops beating. For Leila, each minute brings with it a new memory: growing up with her father and his wives in a grand old house in a quiet Turkish town; watching the women gossip and wax their legs while the men went to mosque; sneaking cigarettes and Western magazines on her way home from school; running away to Istanbul to escape an unwelcome marriage; falling in love with a student who seeks shelter from a riot in the brothel where she works. Most importantly, each memory reminds Leila of the five friends she met along the way - friends who are now desperately trying to find her. . .
My thoughts
I gave this a 7/10 or 3.5 stars. I came across a copy of this on BorrowBox the digital lending side of my local Library. I can not remember how I actually found out about the book whether it was a recommendation or just a random find, anyway that doesn't matter now at all. The fact is that I grabbed a copy and immersed myself in the life of Leila.
Leila is a lady of the night (prostitute) unfortunately early on in the story she is killed and her body dumped. Apparently after our hearts stop our brains remain active, in the active period after her heart has stopped Leila relives her life and we the reader are treated to all that has happened to her. We find out how she has ended up in her profession and all about some of her acquaintances and family.
This was an intriguing premise and I found that the Author tackled it well. At times it was a harrowing read as we find out about life as a prostitute as experienced by Leila, her family life wasn't the life that many of us will have experienced.
Who's to stay that the life we have is a normal life? I remember saying to a Doctor that I saw once about a problem, when he asked me about my family life. I replied it was a normal family, he then asked, 'What a normal family is?' He had a point and it made me think, as did this book at times.
I will look out for further books by this Author. Her way with words and the unusual subject matter of this story, will make me wonder what she may write next or what she has written in the past.
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