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Voice of Conscience

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Voice of Conscience by Behcet Kaya


Author Behcet Kaya draws on his vast knowledge of Turkish and Muslim customs and traditions, captivating his audience from the first chapter. We first meet the Ozcomert family in Atamkoy, Turkey in 1962: Ramzi Sr., his wife, Nermin, their beautiful daughter, Erin, and son, Ramzi Jr. The scene is set for a traditional wedding when Erin is engaged to Turkel with both families' blessing. The elder from the rival Korucu family has decided that he will have Erin marry his grandson. When Ramzi Sr. turns the elder Korucu down, it brings shame to the Korucu clan and soon several of the Ozcomert livestock are slaughtered. Fearing increased violence, the wedding date is moved up.

Ramzi Jr. is awakened in the night by his cousin and aunt and soon learns the horrible truth that will haunt him for the rest of his life - his father, mother, and sister have been murdered in their sleep. Ramzi travels to Istanbul and finds work in construction as he attempts to build a life for himself. Memories of the night his family was murdered continue to disturb him, as does his paranoia that his enemies will find him and kill him as well.

In England, Ramzi is studying for his engineering degree and working as a waiter. He meets Megan, a wealthy, sophisticated American. They fall in love, move to the United States, marry, and begin a family of their own. Ramzi has it all - a beautiful wife, children and a very successful business...however, he can't cast off the nightmare of his past. Not even the love of his wife and daughters, and his place in the business community are enough to keep Ramzi from seeking to quench his thirst for revenge. This desperate need to avenge his murdered family gradually destroys everything he has worked so hard to obtain.

Kaya has crafted an epic story with an intriguing plot filled with plenty of drama, tension and conflict, wonderful character development and crisp dialogue. As well, there are beautiful moments of joy, wonder, and romance. Whether in a Turkish village, London, or the U.S., he puts us right there with vivid sensory descriptions and strong, scene-setting narrative.

Kaya's talent for storytelling is evident on every page and it is easy to forget that Voice of Conscience is his first novel. Frequently, I was shaking my head in shock, laughing at his humor, and moved by a sad passage all in the same chapter. I highly recommend this riveting tale and I look forward to reading more from the author.

Reviewed by William Potter for Reader's Choice Reviews

Voice of Conscience

Author: Behcet Kaya (September 3, 2009)
ISBN: 978-1-4490-1453-7 (sc),
Category: Fiction
Author House (Bloomington, In)
428 pgs, Paperback, $20.10

Ramzi is a young 14 year old boy, whose right of passage from boyhood into manhood, is defined through a traumatically nightmarish experience that promises to alter his persona forever. Given time to escape the horrendous event, he learns the art of prolonging the inevitable response, but not without delayed consequences. It is in the realization of his need to deal with it, that the consequences must be taken as well, and must forever alter the state of everyone else near and around him, especially those most closest to him.

Ramzi Ozkomert was a child of Turkish descent and the product of Turkish culture, complete with tradition, ritual, family pride, vengeance and ultimate religious duty. But even more to the point, he comes to terms with universal principles that transcend all cultural mores. He must come to realize that his traditional Turkish culture is not the last word, but only a snippet of the universal principle of life and death, and the way human beings deal with their own discoveries, traumas, pains, and delayed reactions. This story is multi-faceted and one that will make you realize that it could be, and should be read more than once, as there are a variety of cultural themes, character analyses, plot twists, and more, that can yet be widely discussed and understood.

While Ramzi does not stand out immediately as the protagonist of the story--in fact, his father does--the reader will feel the impact of the change as Ramzi comes to the forefront when his father is faded out. But there is just enough about the father, that explains the sins of the son. Ramzi will not escape his father's hold on his life directions, for his Turkish parents come to him through dreams and permeate his conscience.

Culture clash is definitely embedded as one of the themes in this fiction, which is found throughout the plot as Ramzi must cross a number of changes from Turkey, to England, to America, and back again. The protagonist's inner turmoil between his traditional culture and that of his new American citizenry is agonizing. Anyone who has left their cultural roots by force, and has had to learn and embrace a different culture and its people, must deal with emotional trauma, perhaps even on a daily level. Ramzi finds a place in spite of his displacement from his homeland, culture, and the cultural absolutes that haunt him. He becomes an American citizen and for a while, leads a typical life of American capitalism: success in entrepreneurial pursuits, romance, marriage, wealth, prestige and power. We almost think it is the end of the past, and a bright and different future, until...this new life ultimately does not satisfy. He must deal with the past.

Furthermore, his newfound life with his American wife and children, have ultimately no hold upon his perceived duty to his family and the embedded traditional heritage; there is a deeper and more profound voice that he hears within the universal moment of choices and actions. He has well ingrained in him his Turkish belief in vengeance, and will carry out what he believes at the time, is the right thing. The twist is how he comes to grapple with his actions, and his ultimate choices in spite of those he loves, and those that love him.

This book is a true tragedy, and is well worth reading, as it provokes thoughts upon those objects of affection that can be a distortion to one's own natural sense of being, and can even dictate such actions that can plague the conscience and bring ultimate crises and climactic consequences that one never expects. Bravo for author, Kaya's work.

Reviewed by L.Nolan-Ruiz, Editor
International Books Cafe
[...].

One of the most important historical influences on literature is the classic Shakespearean Tragedy. Shakespeare's tragic heroes will be men of status and the misfortunes that transpire will be unexpected and extremely disastrous. The hero will suddenly fall from high status, honor, or happiness. We feel sympathy at the depths to which the hero is suddenly plummeted. As a result, the tragedy will be enormous. Such great suffering and misfortune will affect those he most cherishes. The principal sources of tragic emotions, especially pity, are essential ingredients in the tragedy.

In Voice of Conscience, author Behcet Kaya implements the attributes of a Shakespearean Tragedy to create a modern day story of love, loss, retribution, and redemption. The protagonist, Ramzi Ozocomert Junior., is a young boy living in Atamkoy, Turkey, in 1962. In Ramzi's culture, arranged marriages are often a part of their customs. Ramzi's parents are confronted by a family who want to arrange a marriage between their son and Ramzi's sister. Ramzi's parents deny the request and allow their daughter to marry a man she truly loves. As the family prepares for their daughter's wedding, Ramzi's parents and sister are brutally murdered. Ramzi, fearing he will be murdered, is forced to flee his home.

Ramzi embarks on a journey where he lives in emotional isolation relying on instincts and his upbringing to survive. As he becomes an adult, he develops a strong work ethic and grand career ambitions while at the same time being haunted by the memories of the brutal slaying of his family. While in England, he falls in love with Megan, a young American who is the daughter of wealthy and powerful business man. As Ramzi becomes involved with British High Society, and when he goes to America to become a successful business man, he embraces a new culture and values. Despite his new life and loving family, he is haunted by his family's death and overwhelming guilt for not avenging those who destroyed his childhood.

Within the story, such themes as honor, love, vengeance, obsession, and overwhelming guilt are predominant. Readers will gain insight into a culture and their beliefs while at the same time revealing human qualities that we all share. The blur between justice and revenge is an important theme.

Voice of Conscience is a compelling drama with the author incorporating the traits of a Tragedy very successfully. Readers will empathize with Ramzi's trials and tribulations. It is highly recommended to readers who enjoy compelling stories of human frailty.

Tracy Roberts, Write Field Services

Voice of Conscience gives insights into a country we in the west are just beginning to scratch the surface of; a country filled with richness in traditions and history. Very rarely has a book like this been written in recent years, a novel that challenges the thinking man and woman. I started reading Voice of Conscience for entertainment, but the whole story took me to a far deeper level, to a strong emotional story with the philpsophical view that vengeance destroys. Outstanding and authentic literature.

Behcet Kaya in his first novel, "Voice of Conscience" writes from of a culture foreign to the understanding of most Western thinking. He writes of a culture steeped in traditions carried over from generations past, a culture where family pride demands revenge once insulted.

The story begins with a young boy, Ramzi Ozcomert Junior, who had to flee his home in a small Turkish community to escape death. His parents and sister were brutally murdered. His first stop was Ankara where he was able to successfully work for a distant uncle and learn a trade. Fearing his life was in jeopardy, he fled his native Turkey to move to London, England. Here he worked hard while getting an education in engineering.

During the final weeks before his graduation, he met and fell in love with Megan Townsend, a beautiful American girl. Within months they were married and Ramzi was soon established in Megan's father's Engineering Company in Los Angeles, California. Successful in business, blessed with a wife, who was also his soul mate, and two adoring daughters, Ramzi appears to have every reason for happiness. Inner turmoil and an ingrained sense of need to avenge the deaths of his family drive him to extreme measures, as a result of traumatic stress syndrome. I experienced both disappointment and empathy as Ramzi worked through his struggles with the voice of conscience.

Behcet Kaya writes with emotions ranging from tenderness to rage. His characters express insight and understanding as well as stubbornness and selfishness. Night mares, day dreams and flash backs help carry the plot forward. The dialog carries with it the flow of using a second language with a native tongue. This use gave a sense of genuineness to many conversations.

"Voice of Conscience" is a strong first novel and Behcet Kaya is well on his way to becoming recognized for his classic approach in communicating a message with a strong story line.

I read the book and thought that it was well written and could imagine the story come to life. The book was very descriptive and the story was captivating. I would recommend this book, very intense and exciting!

Voice of Conscience
By Behcet Kaya
Outskirts Press, Inc. © 2007
ISBN-13: 978-1-4327-0628-9

Thoughts of revenge can infest the brain, tear open the heart and consume the soul. Such is the case for 45-year-old Ramzi Ozcomert in Behcet Kaya's book "Voice of Conscience." Vivid memories and horrid dreams constantly took him back to a night of terror when he was just 14. His father, mother and soon-to-be-wed sister were so full of life one minute and then suddenly and brutally, were slain in their beds - victims of an age-old conflict between two Turkish families.

Voice of Conscience follows a young, innocent Ramzi into adulthood as he finds love and a seemingly successful life with everything he could have ever dreamed of, but nothing satisfies his aching soul. Driven by an insatiable desire to obtain justice for the family he'd lost so long ago, the middle-aged Ramzi leaves everything he's built up behind - a thriving business, and a beautiful wife and daughter - to find and slaughter the men who stormed their home that terrible night. However this journey leaves him even more devastated than he could ever have imagined.

This captivating tale is a study of human nature as it explores both the depths of hatred and love that can be felt in one's heart. It also touches on the desire to regain honor and dignity as a human being - but at what cost?

Behcet Kaya has planned out his story well and the characters are vivid throughout. As readers, we come to care about this man who is so torn inside himself. But be prepared for the unexpected twist that fate has in store for him and all who are driven to revenge. Enter into Ramiz's world, where the soul is consumed by the dark clouds of a painful and unforgettable past - where nothing can soothe the savage beast within.

To get a copy of Voice of Conscience go to: http://www.outskirtspress.com.

Kaya tells a tale of revenge as a way of life, and how it can eat away at a man.

Ramzi Ozcomert lived his first 14 years in northeastern Turkey. In the middle of the 20th century, it is a place that feels much older, obsessed with the idea of honor--family honor, blood honor and revenge. Ramzi's father embodies the code and instills it in his son. As drawn by Kaya, the elder Ozcomert is radiant, but not altogether good. He is scarily unflinching, as only those who do not wrestle with doubt can be. Then revenge rears its head to shatter Ramzi's curiously fascinating, feudal world--he must flee or be taken victim by the same wrath that wiped out his family. Kaya fashions this world with exactingness--the vendettas, enemies everywhere, the artful social dance one had to comply with, or live constantly looking over their shoulder. Young Ramzi is put on a train to Istanbul where he has a delightfully Hitchcockian encounter with a small group of enigmatic souls debating the rift in Turkish society: "We are men of conscience. If someone violates one's honor, murder is justified," says one, while another responds, "Our republic is supposed to be a democracy, but our people still think in the old ways."

Any uncertainties about Ramzi's inclinations are put to rest when, in one of the book's mildly disconcerting jumps, readers next find him in London. It is 13 years later, and he is in love and studying engineering, but unfinished business back home lurks in the background. As a successful businessman in Los Angeles, some 20 years later still, revenge consumes him. "Coward. Coward," says the voice in his head. Apparently you can take the village, but not the code, out of the man. Kaya is a dramatist and his love scenes are chromatic and ecstatic before revenge lowers the skies, and everything goes dark and edgy. "Vengeance only destroys," says Ramzi's friend in the end. And how.

Highly atmospheric, transporting account of an ancient custom alive in a modern world.

Kirkus Discoveries, Nielsen Business Media, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
discoveries@kirkusreviews

Revenge is defined as "the act of taking vengeance for injuries or wrongs; retaliation." We all know that revenge, if we let it, will keep gnawing away at one until it almost destroys a life. Keep this in mind as you read this book.

This novel takes place in Atamkoy which is located in northeastern Turkey. The reader is introduced to the Ozocomert Family. They have a son, Ramzi, and a beautiful daughter, Erin. As is the tradition in this culture, families normally arrange marriages for their children. The Korucu family wants to make arrangements for their son to marry Erin. However, she wants to marry the man she really loves. The Ozocomert Family denies their request.

Ramzi is now old enough to go with his father on a logging trip. Ramzi was looking forward to this trip as he wanted to prove himself to his father. When a tree almost fell on his father, Ramzi jumped on top of him. Ramzi's father often wondered what would happen if he were no longer around. After this trip, he now had no doubt in his mind that Ramzi, Jr. would be able to handle everything that might come his way.

Then something terrible happened. Ramzi Sr., his wife and their daughter, Erin were murdered. As mourners gathered for prayers, an old man stated "Of all human weaknesses, none is more destructive, or unprofitable as intikam, vengeance." He continued by saying "vengeance offers nothing and takes everything." Ramzi, Jr. knew he had to leave or he would be the next one to be killed. The way Ramzi, Jr. was brought up will play a major role in his will to survive. After all, it was a tradition to "teach young boys the tricks of hide and seek".

Ramzi boarded a train and began his journey to start a new life. While on the train he met many travelers who were seated in his compartment. Among them were a brother and sister who carried on a conversation that got a little heated at times. A merchant who was also there got involved in the conversation and made the remarks "Animals are instinctively driven, while man has conscience and respect for the law of the land." This statement really brought out many emotions in Ramzi as he thought about the terrible tragedy that happened to his family. Ramzi did not know what was happening to him. He now realized that all of his customs, traditions and everything dealing with his family have now turned to dust. He finally got control over his emotions and knew he had to forget the fears and think about the future.

While on the train, a pickpocket stole Ramzi's wallet. With the help of a Colonel who was a passenger on the train, the thief was caught. The colonel held the thief while Ramzi punched away at him. Ramzi realized that for the first time in his life he felt really good. This was the feeling of revenge.

Upon his arrival, Ramzi's plan was to go to the home of Safki Ozturk, a distant relative of his mother. His wife, Nazmiye, was a distant relative of Ramzi's father. Nazmiye warmly greeted Ramzi but Safki told him he was not running a hotel. Through Nazmiye's coaching, Safki decided to let Ramzi stay.

During the next several years, Ramzi became Safki's assistant. The business was growing. In his spare time, he finished his schooling and took English lessons.

Ramzi became quite concerned when he heard an ambulance and saw a large crowd gathered. One of the men he worked with, Husnu, was being placed into the ambulance. Now he wondered. Was this a case of mistaken identity? Was he the one who should be in the ambulance? After all, he felt he and Husnu did look somewhat alike. Did his enemies find him?

In order to help pay for his schooling, Ramzi worked at the Texas Pancake House. A beautiful woman came in and caught the eye of many of the male waiters. It almost became a contest to see which one would be able to get a date with Megan. After several failed attempts by the other waiters, it was now Ramzi's turn to wait on her. He did manage to get her to agree to go on a date with him. It took no time for them to fall in love. Megan could not get over how Ramzi reminded her of her father.

Ramzi and Megan got married and had children. He worked for Megan's father and they lived in his house. Ramzi did not like this arrangement because he always felt he was being scrutinized by Megan's father. One day he decided it was time to start his own business. With Megan's father's approval, he did just that and became quite successful.

Ramzi, now in his forties, had a successful business, a beautiful wife and lovely children. However, something was not right. Ramzi wondered what was wrong with him. He kept having nightmares about the way his parents and sister died. His "thoughts of revenge filled his soul, the voice of conscience constantly reminding him". He did not want any more time to slip away before he was too old to do something about this terrible tragedy. He decided on a course of action.

What did Ramzi decide to do and what was the end result?

The author does an excellent job with his descriptive writing. He not only describes his characters in great detail but also creates a picture for the reader about everything from what the family is eating to what traditions they might be following at that very moment. Behcet Kaya has created a protagonist that is so filled with feelings of revenge that life could not be normal even though he had everything one could want. I have read many books but have never experienced the great detailed writing that this author provides.

Voice of Conscience is a story that is rich with traditions and customs. Readers will be awed by the insights the author provides especially when the family is preparing for Erin's wedding and how everyone in the town is involved. He really brings everything to life and makes it seem so real for the reader. This story brings out all the emotions one can have including everything from love to hate.

Behcet Kaya is a great storyteller. Readers will be engrossed as they read this well-written book. The author has the special ability to tell the readers just enough to keep them interested and at the same time keep them captivated by not giving too much away. Be prepared for a surprise ending.

This novel is a Shakespearean Tragedy done at its best. I can imagine this story as a big screen movie. Voice of Conscience is story the reader will not forget.

Voice of Conscience

When cultural imperatives and internal moral feelings collide, such as those in The Voice of Conscience by Behcet Kaya, the turmoil produces a disturbing, yet wonderfully open and thought-provoking novel!

The Voice of Conscience begins in Atamkoy, northeastern Turkey, in the early `60's. Ramzi Ozcomert, Jr., was just 14. His role in the first part is minor, for his father and mother are preparing for the marriage of their daughter, Erin. Known for her beauty, Erin had been fought over by many of the village men, although her heart had already been won and she was tentatively committed for marriage. I say tentatively because there are certain customs that must be followed. There had been no hurry until one night . . .

Elder Korucu and five men from his family came to call; they sought Erin's hand for Orhan, the Elder's grandson. Interestingly, the Korucu and Ozcomert families were not on good terms. Indeed Ramzi Jr.'s role that night was to stand out-of-sight, with the shotgun, in case there was trouble! The scene in which Erin's hand is sought is one of the highlights of the novel and effectively sets the framework against which the book proceeds.

For, because of this marriage proposal, Ramzi Sr. sees that they must move more quickly if they are to grant Erin's desire to marry for love! And so the process and arrangements for the wedding begin. Here, too, is one of the highlights of the novel: the description of the wedding preparations, including the convoy of the groom's family as they travel to the wedding site.

But it all ended in tragedy¾for Ramzi Sr. and his wife, as well as Erin were murdered! Ramzi Jr., escaped from the house with the help of relatives and was sent far away where he would have to make a new life, accompanied only by the nightmares of his family's bodies, lying bloody, dead, on the eve of the ceremony! There had been so much planning, hoping to avoid any trouble, hoping that the marriage would take place. Now the only thing left was Ramzi's pain and his need¾for vengeance!

As Ramzi grew older, he graduated and met his soulmate, Megan, for whom he had great love. As his family began, so, too, did Ramzi's successful ventures in business, and he was soon a wealthy owner of an engineering design company and father of two young girls. Devoting his life to family and his business won over even Megan's father, who had been against the marriage initially; and he soon was proud of his son-in-law's accomplishments.

The story could well have ended, telling a beautiful and exciting love story; however, Kaya then takes his readers back--to the time when Ramzi lost his family!

When Ramzi looks at his success, he begins only to remember what he has also lost! And his deep, instinctual teachings of vengeance began to consume him, until he could no longer indulge in his own and his family's happiness. He attempted to discuss his ethical and spiritual concerns while visiting a monastery, but, for him, it was too little, too late.

What finally happens is an unpredictable, dramatic explosion that takes readers completely by surprise. And yet, by its very ending, it changed the novel into a literary statement that must be absorbed and pondered for its relevance! There is much to learn from Kaya as he shares how continuing cultural practices and instilling them so deeply into our children that they become all consuming, can be and often is potentially harmful to the very children we have brought to life and love!

Kaya has presented us with a must-read first novel, a tale discussing cultural imperatives that must be explored by all of us as we face today's world. This is a memorable read! At this time, the book is being reprinted, so make sure you wait to get an error-free copy!


G. A. Bixler