10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

56 pages • 1 hour read

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 8

Part 1, Chapters 9-18

Part 2, Chapters 1-10

Part 2, Chapters 11-19

Part 3-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Part 1, Chapters 9-18Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1: “The Mind”

Part 1, Chapter 9 Summary: “Seven Minutes”

During the seventh minute after her death, Leila remembers Sabotage Sinan giving her a hula hoop. Leila secretly took it home. She put on some of her mother’s makeup and began to sing and dance. Her father caught her and yelled at her; he told her that she was “behaving like a whore” (103), and Leila never touched the hula hoop again.

In September 1963, Leila was forced to unenroll from school; her father’s sheik told him to keep Leila at home until the day she was married. Leila said goodbye to Sabotage Sinan and promised to see him again. When Leila returned home, she went immediately to the garden and began to eat the soil under an apple tree. When she reentered the house, Auntie asked why she had been eating the soil. Leila reminded her of the story she told about a woman who “ate sand, broken glass…even gravel” (105), revealing that Leila was pregnant and trying to trigger a miscarriage. Auntie stated that it was impossible for Leila to be pregnant because she had never seen a man naked; Leila asked if her uncle counted as a man.

The following day, Leila’s father told her that she should not make up lies. Leila challenged him and stated that if he did not believe her, they should go to the hospital and have her tested. He refused and said that family matters should be dealt with privately. Two days later, Leila miscarried. Her father told Leila that he had spoken to her uncle, and it quickly became clear that he would always be on his brother’s side. He arranged a marriage between Leila and one of her uncle’s younger children. Leila found no support from her mother or aunt.

In November, Tarkan died of pneumonia. On the day of his death, Leila ran away from home with the help of Sabotage Sinan, who stole the money for her train ticket. Leila arrived in Istanbul and was approached by a young man who worked at the bus station; he told her that if she had nowhere to stay, she could stay at his aunt’s house. She decided to try a hostel instead but was scared in the middle of the night by the sound of approaching footsteps. She returned to the young man to accept his offer. The young man and his aunt were human traffickers and forced Leila into sex work. After an unspecified amount of time, Leila decided to call her family, and she spoke briefly with her mother and aunt. She continued to make routine calls, but one day, her father answered the phone and told Leila to never call again; he disowned her.

As a sex worker, Leila was arrested repeatedly and taken to the hospital to be screened for sexually transmitted infections. While waiting to be screened, Leila noticed an African woman sitting on the opposite bench; the women who were from Turkey sat on one bench, and the “foreigners” sat on another. Eventually, Leila decided to speak to the woman, Jameelah, by complimenting the woven bracelet she wore. Later, Jameelah gave Leila a bracelet of her own, becoming one of Leila’s five closest friends.

Part 1, Chapter 10 Summary: “Jameelah’s Story”

Jameelah was born in Somalia, enjoying a blissful childhood. After the death of her beloved mother, Jameelah began to attend her mother’s old church despite the protests of her family, who practiced Islam. Soon, Jameelah found herself living in a slum, and Somalia went to war. Jameelah’s friend recommended her to a man who was looking for women to work as housekeepers and nannies in Istanbul. Jameelah, along with 40 other women from various countries in Africa, were taken to Istanbul. Jameelah was trafficked and forced into sex work. She refused to give up on her freedom.

Part 1, Chapter 11 Summary: “Eight Minutes”

During the eighth minute of her death, Leila remembers March 1966. She had been called downstairs by the madame of her brothel, Bitter Ma, and assigned a client that was known to be extremely violent. She took him up to her room, and he became increasingly agitated; he believed that Bitter Ma was watching them through a crack in the wall and that Leila was lying to him. He took a small bottle out of his vest and opened it. Leila quickly turned away but was not fast enough to escape the sulfuric acid.

After she was burned, she returned to work at the brothel and found that men seemed more interested in her after she had a story: She had scars from the burns on her back. Leila avoided all of the other women in the brothel, except Zaynab122, a woman who claimed she could spell her name in 122 different ways. Zaynab122 worked in the brothel as a housekeeper, but she was also a fortune teller. Zaynab122 read Leila’s fortune and claimed that it showed that Leila would be happily married one day. Leila and Zaynab122 thought about how Leila would look as a bride. Zaynab122 became one of the five.

Part 1, Chapter 12 Summary: “Zaynab’s Story”

Zaynab122 was born in a small, isolated village in Lebanon where families intermarried and dwarfism among children was common; Zaynab122 was one of those children. One day, a photographer came to their village to take pictures of her family, and she fell in love with him. The photographer quickly left, and Zaynab122 found herself deeply unhappy. That same year, her health began to decline, and while she was in Beirut for a doctor’s visit, she learned how to read fortunes. When Zaynab122 returned home, she told her father that she wished to leave, and with his blessing, she did.

In April 1964, Zaynab122 arrived in Istanbul and couldn’t find a job. After several weeks, she was hired at a salon to clean. Because of her dwarfism, standing for long periods of time was difficult. One of the salon’s regular customers, Bitter Ma, was fond of Zaynab122 and offered her a job at her brothel to do the same housekeeping work for better pay.

Part 1, Chapter 13 Summary: “Nine Minutes”

During the ninth minute of her death, Leila remembers July 1968, when she met a young man named D/Ali. A fleet of American soldiers would be docking in Istanbul to take part in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations. A group of leftist students at Istanbul University, who opposed American involvement within their country, protested their arrival; the police became involved, and the protest turned violent. The American soldiers returned to their ships and left Istanbul early. Bitter Ma spent money preparing for the Americans’ arrival and was angry.

That day, Leila heard Bitter Ma screaming at someone downstairs. A young man had run into the brothel while the police chased after protesters. Leila, knowing that Bitter Ma hated the “leftists” who chased the Americans away, told her that the young man was one of her clients. Leila led the man back upstairs, and as she began to undress, the man told her to redress and that he only wanted to speak with her. He introduced himself as D/Ali.

D/Ali’s legal name was Ali, and he was the son of Turkish immigrants who lived in Germany. D/Ali received his name from bullies at school who made fun of him and, upon discovering his love for painting, began to teasingly call him “Dali” after Salvador Dali. After D/Ali’s sister was found unconscious from alcohol poisoning after a party, his father decided to send D/Ali and his sisters back to Turkey, where D/Ali was expected to attend college. During his first few months in Istanbul, D/Ali became increasingly angry at the state of the world. He joined a leftist group and began to protest.

Leila and D/Ali got to know each other through smells and tastes; Leila explains in the present that D/Ali seemed to understand the world through these two senses. Leila could not understand why D/Ali continued to visit her if he did not want to have sex with her. D/Ali explained that he would have to pay for a date. Leila became increasingly attached to D/Ali. He painted a portrait of Leila as a gift. Bitter Ma softened to him after he painted a portrait of her, too.

Part 1, Chapter 14 Summary: “Ten Minutes”

During the 10th minute after her death, Leila remembers October 1973, when the Bosphorus Bridge opened and connected. She remembered all of the city’s celebrations, as the bridge now connected “Asia-Turkey” to “European-Turkey.” That night, Leila stood outside watching fireworks with women from work and her friend Nala. While the women were talking, D/Ali came running down the street and pulled Leila inside. Once they were inside, he revealed that he was running from a group of fascists called the Grey Wolves. Leila looked at the fliers and was surprised to see D/Ali’s own artwork.

Leila asked D/Ali what would happen to sex workers if his communist revolution won. He told her that they would all become factory workers and that people like Bitter Ma would face justice. D/Ali asked Leila to marry him. Leila became angry, telling him never to ask that again. D/Ali admitted to loving Leila.

For the rest of the week, Leila worked at various parties celebrating the completion of the Bosphorus Bridge, but she couldn’t stop thinking about D/Ali. One evening, Leila heard a cat yowl and ran over to check on it, as did another woman. The woman, Humeyra, helped Leila find a veterinarian, but they were told that the cat would die from its injuries. Leila demanded that the veterinarian try regardless, and the cat survived several surgeries. Leila and Humeyra named the cat Sekiz, the Turkish word for the number eight, because they were certain the cat had spent eight of her nine lives. The women took turns looking after Sekiz and built a friendship. Humeyra, nicknamed Hollywood Humeyra because of her job singing at a nightclub, became one of Leila’s five.

Part 1, Chapter 15 Summary: “Humeyra’s Story”

Humeyra was born on the border of Turkey and Syria in a town called Mardin. She grew up singing and was determined to never marry. However, her father arranged for her to be wed to a young man at 16 years old. After experiencing financial difficulties, Humeyra and her husband were forced to live with his family, and Humeyra was treated as a servant.

Humeyra stole her mother-in-law’s golden bracelets and used them to buy a bus ticket to Istanbul. In the city, she began to sing at a nightclub and rented a room near the brothels. Leila and Humeyra supported each other emotionally, and when Humeyra discovered that her husband was in the city looking for her, Leila advised Humeyra to dye her hair. Humeyra was afraid of becoming the victim of an honor killing. Leila comforted Humeyra by stating that she was one of the “lucky ones” who were “destined to survive” (160).

Part 1, Chapter 16 Summary: “Ten Minutes Twenty Seconds”

Ten minutes and 20 seconds after her death, Leila remembers the taste of her wedding cake. On the day of her wedding, she marched out of the brothel and to her new apartment with D/Ali. Leila was surprised at Bitter Ma’s willingness to allow her to leave, but D/Ali had paid her well. After they were married, Leila asked D/Ali if he was bothered by her past, and he responded that the only thing that mattered was the present.

In May 1977, D/Ali and Leila went to join a protest for International Workers’ Day. At the protest, Leila felt anxious about the crowds and the anger that seemed to grow between various groups of people. As they moved toward the Intercontinental Hotel in Taksim Square, a gunman opened fire on the crowd. They fled through a very small street, but armored police vehicles cut off the exit and trapped protesters between the risk of arrest or the risk of death. During the commotion, Leila was separated from D/Ali. Over the next two days, Leila called every hospital and doctor looking for D/Ali. A clinic in Galata confirmed that D/Ali was deceased.

Part 1, Chapter 17 Summary: “Ten Minutes Thirty Seconds”

Ten minutes and 30 seconds after her death, Leila remembers a seemingly normal day in November 1990. She and Jameelah had been eating when Bitter Ma called Leila with a new client. A wealthy man needed a woman at the Intercontinental Hotel, where his son was staying on the eve of his wedding. The wealthy man had discovered that his son was in a relationship with a man, and he arranged a wedding for his son in the hopes that marriage would change his sexuality. Bitter Ma told Leila that she should help him “change his mind” (172).

On her way to the hotel, Leila noticed that people stared at her judgmentally. When she arrived, the young man invited Leila into his room and offered her a drink. As he gave her a glass of whiskey, he addressed someone on the phone, who Leila assumed was his partner, and she went to smoke on the patio. After a few minutes, the young man joined her. Leila encouraged the young man to invite his partner to the hotel so that they could figure out a plan in regard to his wedding. The young man thanked her, and she left the room.

Outside of the hotel, a man offered to light Leila’s cigarette; he stepped out of a car parked on the curb, and another man stepped out with him. The driver of the car tried to hire Leila to have sex with the other man for his birthday. Leila reluctantly agreed because money was tight; Jameelah had been diagnosed with lupus and was experiencing a flare-up. Once in the car, Leila tried to direct the driver toward a place of her choosing. It quickly became apparent that she was in danger.

Part 1, Chapter 18 Summary: “Remaining Eight Seconds”

During the final eight seconds of Leila’s life, she remembers the birthday party that her friends threw for her. She thinks about how her family never celebrated birthdays growing up and that once in Istanbul, she had been surprised to discover that people exchanged gifts and ate cake on birthdays. Every year, her five friends threw her a birthday party, and she felt that she was blessed to have five amazing friends.

On her final birthday, her friends made her dinner and baked her a strawberry cake. They made cocktails and spent the night watching black-and-white movies. Leila thought about how her friends were her safety. In her last moments, she remembers the pink birthday cake, the laughter of her friends, and American actress Rita Hayworth, who wore a sad smile.

Part 1, Chapters 9-18 Analysis

Leila’s younger brother, Tarkan, who is introduced in Part 1, Chapter 8, was born with Down syndrome. While Leila loved her brother, her father could not accept having a child with a disability and hid him away in their home until his eventual death. His choice to hide Tarkan from their community demonstrates one of the main motifs in the novel—secrets—and highlights one of the limits of a traditionalist mindset and the marginalization of those with disabilities within this society, which also speaks to the theme of Traditionalism Versus Modernism. Meanwhile, Leila’s personality of understanding and openness highlights the disharmony between her first home and her second home in Istanbul.

In response to Tarkan’s disability, Leila’s father dives into the realm of traditionalism to an extreme degree. Leila’s questioning of his beliefs, and her subsequent rejection of them, results in her father almost hitting her, marking Leila’s first interaction with physical violence in the novel. Violence Against Women, and the different forms that violence can take, is one of the major themes in the novel. In this case, Shafak implies that Leila’s father’s turn to radical traditionalism led him to become intolerant and violent, particularly toward women.

Leila and her father continue to have conflicting ideas about women’s places within society in the following chapter as Leila reads Western magazines and wears her mother’s makeup. In a moment of dramatic irony, Leila’s father’s use of a derogatory term for a sex worker when addressing her foreshadows her eventual career. It also serves as a moment of verbal violence, harming Leila deeply to the point that she states, “The memory of that afternoon would remain so deeply seared on her mind that even now […] inside a metal rubbish bin on the outskirts of Istanbul, […] she still remembered the smell of the burning-wood stove with an intense, penetrating sadness” (99). Leila’s confidence in her father helped to balance her dislike for her abusive uncle; once her father proves himself capable of violence and verbal assault, she feels entirely let down by the men around her.

Further, Leila’s pregnancy as a result of her uncle’s continued sexual abuse introduces a significant turning point in Leila’s understanding of family and, ultimately, her decision to leave home. Her father’s choice to keep her pregnancy and miscarriage as a “family problem” is a final act of betrayal that deeply impacts Leila (107). After learning of her arranged marriage, Leila says, “This house is full of lies and deceptions. Our lives have never been normal. We are not a normal family…Why are you always pretending?” (109), showcasing the way that Leila’s understanding of family and their constant use of secrets are deeply intertwined. Moreover, this final betrayal merges the themes of The Complexity of Family and violence against women, as her family is built upon the ideas that women are subservient to men and that men will never be held responsible for their actions.

After Tarkan’s death in Part 1, Chapter 10, Leila leaves home and becomes a victim of human trafficking. Once she makes it to Istanbul, she meets her third friend, Jameelah, who is a young refugee from Somalia that is also a victim of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Jameelah’s experience and abuse portray the limits and issues that come with modernization: Marginalized women are sexually exploited and objectified by society. These women are often victims of horrendous violence, like the sulfuric acid attack against Leila in Chapter 12, but receive little protection or care from law enforcement or their employers. The violence perpetrated against women is often trivialized by men, who, Leila claims, “told her how fortunate she was that the disfigurement had not prevented her from working. If anything, she was more popular than before, in greater demand. She was a prostitute with a story, and men seemed to like that” (124). Violence against women seems to intrigue and even stimulate Leila’s clients, portraying how they view women as objects to be purchased rather than people. Moreover, it positions violence against women as arousing, thus perpetuating cycles of violence and abuse.

Zaynab122 is the fourth of Leila’s five friends. Zaynab122, much like the city of Istanbul itself, represents the intersection between traditionalism and modernism. Zaynab122 is a deeply religious woman who follows many Turkish traditions and superstitions but also tells fortunes and works as a housekeeper inside of a brothel. Zaynab122’s medical condition exposes another shortcoming of conventional modernism as she struggles to find a job that will accommodate her needs, as well as revealing the blatant discrimination she faces.

Hollywood Humeyra is the final member of the five introduced in the novel. As a character, she serves to introduce readers to another form of violence against women that occurs within this culture: honor killings. An honor killing is a form of femicide, or the hate crime of killing women because of their gender, in which women are killed because of their perceived failure to adhere to their roles in society, thus damaging their familial honor in the eyes of men around. Through Humeyra, Shafak explores the ways that honor killings function outside of traditional violence.

After Leila marries D/Ali, a member of a communist progressive movement in Turkey, the couple goes to the 1977 International Worker’s Day demonstration, or the 1977 Taksim Square Massacre, in which gunmen opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators. During the mass shooting, police cars cut off the escape route, and panic ensued. Between 34 and 42 people were killed during the shooting, and the perpetrators were never caught (“Commemoration of Bloody May Day 1977.” Memorialize Turkey). This scene, and the death of D/Ali, depict the dangers of traditionalism versus modernism coming into direct conflict rather than finding a middle ground. Moreover, the safety provided by D/Ali, a man who loved Leila, respected her autonomy, and accepted her entirely, is gone. D/Ali helped Leila to reexamine her relationships with men, as well as herself; in asking her to redress and simply wanting to talk when he met with her, D/Ali came to embody a loving partner, friend, and ally. After his death, Leila meets her own demise when she resumes sex work to help with Jameelah’s medical bills and their shared rent. Had D/Ali lived, Leila might have lived, too.

In the final eight seconds of Leila’s life, she remembers a birthday party held for her by her friends. This scene highlights the way that a person’s chosen family can be more meaningful and more impactful on their life than their biological family. As she dies, she remembers the support system her friends were and how loved and celebrated she felt in their presences. As such, Leila dies in a moment of gratitude, foreshadowing her friends’ rescue of her body; they have always loved and celebrated her in life, and they will do the same in death.