Honor, by Elif Shafak (2011)
The novel opens as Esma, British-Turkish woman, goes to pick up her older brother, Iskender, from prison after serving a term for murdering his mother Pembe. He was just 16-years-old when he stabbed his mother to death after hearing rumors that his mother was having an affair. Adem, Pembe's husband, had abandoned the family for another woman, and Iskender felt it was his responsibility to protect the families reputation.
The novel bounces around from the 1940s to 1991, so the family history slowly peeled back as the events come into focus. In the 1940s, Pembe and her identical twin sister, Jamila, were born to a poor family in Kurdish Turkey. Pembe married and ultimately moved to London with her husband and children, hoping for a better life. Jamila remained in their village. As a child, she had been abducted, so her virginity was question and she never married.
Life in London, wasn't the golden life as expected. Does the family adhere to its old traditions, or try to fit into English life? When Adem moved out, the stage was set for a clash of cultures. The novel described, in part, the immigrant experience, as well as age-old tradition. There are a number of twists and turns in this book which make the ending a gift.
Read: July 25, 2026
4 Stars
