The more I read by Elif Shafak, the more I like her work. This book has what I am beginning to recognise as typical characteristics; an interwoven plot of multiple strands, nice writing and the intersection between East and West. The attitude of the West towards Turkish Muslims is central to the book, and even though this was written eight years ago, it could not be more topical with all the anti-Muslim hatred by the politicians where I live (in the Netherlands). Shafak wrote in Rivers in the Sky that "there is no better space than literature, especially the novel as literary genre, within which to explore the most complex issues of our time with nuance depth and empathy". In this book, she proves herself right.