Ayfer Tunç’s new novel tells the story of Şehnaz, a woman who rediscovers her identity through memory, the women in her life, and a destructive love affair. One night, when she realizes that her mother is a sleepwalker, Şehnaz is shaken by the words she hears and, from that moment on, becomes aware of her extraordinary memory. Being unable to forget anything both enriches her life and turns into a burden: joyful memories remain vivid, but painful experiences are also etched into her mind indelibly.

Through Şehnaz’s memory, the narrative returns to the past: her conflicts with her strong, charismatic yet lonely mother Ayhan, the tensions between her mother and grandmother, and the struggles of three generations of women living under the same roof are depicted. At the same time, Şehnaz remains trapped in a passionate yet toxic love affair with E., a man with whom she has shared thirty years of her life, a relationship that has become a form of dependency.

‘Tunç, who courageously and unsparingly lays bare our instances of ordinary evil, also delivers a flawless analysis of an unequal relationship.’ ÖMER TÜRKEŞ, SANATATAK

‘If I were asked to sum up this sprawling novel, with all the suspense of a crime thriller, in a single word, I would say “power.” On every level of the story, Ayfer Tunç probes the workings of power, both micro and macro. While the novel appears to focus on power dynamics within the mother daughter relationship and romantic relationships, it also traces, in the background and between the lines, the profound shifts in power and capital in Turkey, showing how the story unfolding before us is intertwined with the broader social and sociological changes taking place behind it.’ EYLÜL GÖRMÜŞ