【英語で読書感想文】10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world by Elif Shafak エリフ・シャファク『レイラの最後の10分38秒』

レイラの最後の１０分３８秒-ハヤカワ・オンライン

Title: 10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world
Author: Elif Shafak

I found this book when it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2019. The author is Turkish/British and this may be my first book set in Turkey. Learning new customs and cultures in other countries is one of my favorite part of reading books.

The story sets in Istanbul in 1990’s, and begins with the scene where a prostitute named Laila was murdered and disposed of in a dumpster. Even though her heart and other bodily functions already stopped, she was still conscious. According to a science test, the human brain is still working even after the body technically dies, and the consciousness lingers for 10 minutes 38 seconds. So Laila was recalling the important moments of her life over 10 minutes 38 seconds. We learned Laila’s life which is a series of hardships and also key moments of Turkish history during the 1940’s and 1990’s. Laila had to live through a complicated family relationship, child abuse, human trafficking and so on, which made me feel sad and frustrated so much. However there was an only one good thing, a wonderful friendship with 5 people.
The second part of the book follows her 5 friends who tried to get Laila’s body from the graveyard where prostitutes and other despised people are buried. Each of 5 has their own life story and survived through the rough world, and Laila was an irreplaceable friend to them as well.

I liked the author’s story-telling skill. Laila is a victim of an old patriarchal society and I can somewhat relate to her struggle. Actually, there are women like Laila all over the world and I think the author conveys the message in very imaginative way.

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この作品に描かれている主人公の存在って、世界中の女性たちの叫びだよなあと感じました。
トルコ文学は、日本にない文化や宗教のごちゃまぜ具合を感じられてとても面白そうです。

元の投稿はコチラ↓です。

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