Bliss: A Novel [Paperback]

O.Z. Livaneli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2007

Fifteen-year-old Meryem lives in a rural village in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. Her simple, conventional way of life changes dramatically after her uncle, a sheikh in a dervish order, rapes her--and condemns her to death for shaming the family. Asked to carry out the "honor killing" is his son Cemal, a commando in the Turkish army. So begins a long, mystifying voyage for Meryem as her shell-shocked cousin ushers her to the shining metropolis of Istanbul where another troubled soul, the Harvard-educated professor Irfan, embarks on his own journey of transformation--one that catapults him into the heart of Meryem and Cemal's conflict. The crossed-paths and interwoven destinies of these three characters makes for an affecting, by turns brutal and life-affirming portrayal of traditional and modern-day Turkey that no reader will soon forget.

 

"Livaneli is an essential force in Turkey's musical, cultural, and political scene."
--Orhan Pamuk, Nobel Prize Winner and author of Snow
 
"Bliss is eye-opening and deeply moving."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred)
 
"Compelling [for] American readers …hard to put down."
--The Cleveland Plain Dealer
"With lush scenes of Turkish life and nuanced depictions of the [characters'] inner lives. . .a convergence of lost, likable souls."
--Entertainment Weekly

 

O. Z. Livaneli, one of Turkey's most prominent authors, is also an accomplished composer, and previously served as an elected member of the Turkish Parliament. For more information about his background and books, visit his website at www.livaneli.net.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The paths of three characters converge to illustrate, perhaps too patly, the conflicts of contemporary Turkey. Raped by her uncle, the sheikh, 15-year-old villager Meryem has shamed her family. To save the family name, Cemal, the sheikh's son, a soldier home from his tour fighting Kurds in the Gabar Mountains, is ordered by his father to take Meryem to Istanbul and to murder her. When Cemal and Meryem reach Istanbul, they are shocked by the cosmopolitan city, full of women wearing low-cut blouses and children who disobey their parents. Cemal falters at the moment of decision and, instead of murdering Meryem, travels with her to the seaside, where they encounter Irfan, a successful Istanbul professor who, plagued by insomnia and anxiety, has fled his cushy life to set sail in the Aegean Sea. Irfan offers them jobs on his boat and forges a tenuous mentorship with Meryem, but Cemal, whose psychological torment is richly captured early in the book, is soon reduced to a glowering presence. Livaneli, a former exile who was elected to Turkey's Parliament in 2002, takes great pains to reveal his country's complex culture, but the result often reads like a cautionary fable. Readers should prepare themselves for heavy-handed allegory. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—Left in the barn to hang herself as a consequence of her uncle raping her, 15-year-old Meryem defies local tradition and refuses to do it. Her cousin Cemal, recently a soldier in the army, who grew up with her in a tiny village in eastern Turkey, is sent to take her to Istanbul and is told to kill her on the way. On the train, Meryem's eyes are opened to city women who wear modern-day dress and speak and eat in front of men. Cemal cannot kill her, and after a short stay with his brother in Istanbul, he goes to a war buddy who gives them a place of temporary refuge, a fish farm on a cove in western Turkey. Here they meet a professor who has run away from his privileged life in Istanbul and is living on a large sailboat. He invites the two cousins to join him as his crew and companions. The dynamics created by this union give these three characters a new direction in which to take their lives. Teens will be drawn to the plight of a girl who has been raped and is then treated as the perpetrator of the crime. Livaneli shows village life and modern city life as two separate realities that coexist in Turkey today. Students interested in human rights and global studies will also appreciate this novel.—Ellen Bell, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312360541
• ISBN-13: 978-0312360542
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Middle Eastern

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unforgetable book!, October 30, 2006

By 

Cigdem Brown (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bliss: A Novel (Hardcover)

I read "Bliss" first in 2002 from the original language it's written, Turkish. I was mesmerized by it, touched my heart, my soul. Ever since, I read it over and over again and I have been waiting for it to be translated into English so I can share this wonderful book with my friends, and everybody I know and do not know. An excellent translation! If you read a book a year, this should be your "only" one. BLISS is a deeper look into human soul. A universal search for happiness. The characters are so vivid, you can see them, feel them, be them. Universal in the sense of soul searching, but also gives an accurate and great overall picture of Turkey today.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important and accurate portrait of Turkey, June 3, 2008

By 

M. Ozemet (Izmir Turkey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bliss: A Novel (Paperback)

I am currently an expat living in Turkey with my Turkish husband and his family. For many years I have been interested in Turkish literature and this book is not only a great example of Turkish literary style, it is also the most accurate depiction of the strong social divide between city and village, educated and uneducated, rich and poor, available to the English speaking world. Livaneli offers a photorealistic portrait that is incredibly important for the world to see. Most importantly, the translation is exceptional. Turkish and English are at opposite ends of the language spectrum and therefore it is incredibly difficult to get an accurate translation. However, this translation has been brilliantly done and the lyrical style of the original has held true. I recommend this book highly.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ambitious but not excellent, April 2, 2007

By 

Sandy "reader" (Mesa, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bliss: A Novel (Hardcover)

I was interested in this book from the cover and inside blurb, but once I began reading, I could see a lot of problems that an editor might have helped with. The author created a good premise, but it was extremely disjointed. It seems that he wanted to put anything in that occured to him, regardless of whether it supported the story or not. Perhaps he was trying to paint a portrait of life in Turkey, how the religion influences society, and how things are changing in some parts of the country - but as a story, it had very odd pacing, strange character behavior and motivation, and lots of loose ends (he would bring in things like homosexuality for no reason, and Irfan had so many book and author references, it was like name-dropping, again, for no reason.) I grew very weary of Irfan and his search, even though I found it interesting at the outset. I thought Meryem the most vibrant character, but some of her behaviors were also not realistic - no one gets over rape as quickly as she did, particularly in a country where she's told she's useless and sinful, and where she knows she'll be killed. I also waited for a showdown with her and Cemal regarding his father, but this didn't unfold the way I expected - and the way it DID unfold was given extremely short shrift. The writer deserves more for his effort than for the actual result.