Book Review: 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak

Trigger warning: This book contains death and sexual assault stories.

According to Elif Shafak, the book is fictional but the stories are real.

The main character, Leila, lies almost dead somewhere in Istanbul. Before her brain shuts down in 10 minutes and 38 seconds, she recalls some of the most prominent memories in her life. The good, the bad and the ugly; right from the time she was born up until her last second on earth.

Elif's vivid writing style immediately brought me into Leila's world. It's so detailed that when she started laying down the painful parts of the story, it was almost too difficult for me to continue. Honestly, there were a few times where I had to stop and cry for a moment before moving on.

The book doesn't simply revolve on the main character, but also on the people who cared deeply for her. Their personal stories and struggles were stitched beautifully into the whole story.

Despite some of the tragedies in the book, I'm quite glad it ended as it should for Leila. It's also quite comforting to know that there are people who not only become your friends, but also your family.