The Bastard of Istanbul - Elif Shafak

The Bastard of Istanbul - Elif Shafak (2007)
Turkish author Elif Shafak writes a story of one family and its branches and the secret that is held between them over twenty years. American Armenian Armanoush travels to Istanbul, to meet the family of her stepfather and to discover the secrets of her Armenian past. Mainly this is the story of the women of the family and the things that bring them together and tear them apart.

Nominated for the 2008 Orange award, when first published in Turkey it resulted in the author being put on trial for insulting Turkish identity. Charges were dropped eventually. Did I enjoy it - it was ok, nothing too shocking. I found it a good length and the characters were likable enough and having visited Turkey about 15 years ago, I could visualise many of the scenes and the throngs of people. So a 3/5.