The Literature and Language Book Club will meet from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, February 21 in Room 3N-6 at the Harold Washington Library Center to discuss The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak. Here are some discussion questions from readinggroupguides.com to consider as you read:
- On page 34, to whom, and for what, is Zeliha apologizing?
- The women of this novel create many rules for themselves. Identify and list them, discussing the circumstances that each reflects.
- How do the various characters in the novel express their femininity or womanhood? How do both the religious conservatism and the secularity of Istanbul influence them?
- Asya wants so much to be different from her mother. Yet she is like her in so many ways. Compare and contrast Zeliha and Asya.
- On page 135, Auntie Cevriye says, “The problem with us Turks is that we are constantly being misinterpreted and misunderstood.” Share your idea of what it must be like to live in Turkey. Has this book changed or reinforced your opinion?
- Born on different continents and raised in different ethnic traditions, what do Asya and Armanoush have in common? How are they different?
