After a few words about the author, I will move on to the novel. I confess that I have never read Sevimay before. Will I read her again? Definitely yes. I loved her language. It is fluent, plain and not tiring. She has a simple but deep narrative that draws the reader in without tiring them.
Our author, who was born in Zonguldak in 1972, graduated from the Department of Business Administration in English. Aren’t two sentences enough to describe an author? Where he was born, what he studied… Of course not. But for some reason, we always start like this when introducing someone. That’s how I wrote it, let’s see. Maybe it will stick in my mind and I won’t do it again. Sevimay is an author who has written many works and won many awards despite being very young. The fact that I haven’t read her until now is my shortcoming.
Now let’s get to the novel…
A Migration Story: A Family Uprooted
The novel revolves around six characters. Even one person takes up so much space in this huge world, the story of six people…
Aynalı, who gave his name to the novel, is a boza seller. He gets his name from his jugs that shine like mirrors. In addition to being a boza seller, he is a man who carries the burden of his family on his shoulders and is very attached to the concept of honor. His wife, Leblebi Bacı, is a woman who dresses in pitch black to hide her weight and resembles a roasted chickpea with her blonde hair. Melek is a mute character who has lowered her voice to the world and responds with a smile, but can only express herself with her looks even when she is angry. Zeynep is the lightning that hits the house; Aynalı’s eldest daughter, Aynalı’s great wound. An orphan, as the name suggests, an orphan; a man whose name we do not know, who acts with a sense of duty. Kalender is a kalender as his name suggests, but at the same time he is a selfish character who loves himself the most. His wife Gülsüm is a woman who is angry at life and Kalender.
When you look at the characters, isn’t it obvious that a strong novel will emerge? Yes, it is. Sevimay has written a clear and gripping novel. It is an easy-to-read work that increases the desire to read as you turn the pages, keeps the curiosity alive.
The main subject of the novel is based on the Aynalı family’s migration from Ankara to Istanbul, holding on tightly to the concept of honor, and their efforts to hold on to life in this new city. However, the real tragedy of the novel is that they fall into the very thing they are running away from.
“A new page… A white, black or colored novel? Fate knows that.”
Whatever You Run Away From, You Get Caught Up With It
Aynalı migrates from Ankara to protect her daughter’s honor. Will Istanbul be a door of hope for them, or will it be a city where old fears turn into harsher confrontations?
When they arrive in the new city, Kalender, who knocks on their door with a hot pot, becomes their first friend. However, this friendship is also the beginning of a chain of events that will later cause great destruction. Istanbul is like a huge stage, and each character is condemned to experience their own tragedy while playing their role on this stage.
“Life is not life, death is not death. A pain, an absence.”
Kalender and Zeynep’s selfish relationship, Aynalı’s cries for honor, Melek and Yetim’s naive bond, Leblebi Bacı’s sorrowful end… They are all intertwined, shocking stories.
One of the most painful points is Aynalı’s inability to show his love. He is a typical Anatolian father. A man who lives his love inside, who waits for a sorrowful event to happen to show his love. For example, he did not even caress the hair of his mute daughter Melek, until that day…
My Criticisms and Expectations
First of all, Aynalı’s being a boza seller did not appeal to me very much for some reason. At this point, maybe it is because I connected with the character Mevlüt in Orhan Pamuk’s novel Kafamda Bir Tuhaflık. Aynalı was written before Orhan Pamuk’s novel, but since I knew Mevlüt first, the idea of selling boza and walking around the streets seemed a bit raw to me.
I would have liked Istanbul to be told more in the book. It would have been great to wander through the streets of Istanbul through the eyes of a migrating family, to see the city from the perspective of someone coming from Ankara. Zeynep could have done this very well. Aynalı could have also told us about the people of Istanbul through her dialogues with her customers.
The novel gave me a Yeşilçam vibe. Despite its fluidity, it was a very familiar story. But it didn’t end like a Yeşilçam cliché, it ended in a more beautiful, less predictable way.
Conclusion
Aynalı is an impressive novel that tells the story of social values, family ties, and the individual’s struggle with fate. Sevimay’s language is simple yet striking. It is a book that draws the reader in without tiring them, and can be read in one go.
However, I wish Istanbul had been covered in a little more depth. The inner worlds of the characters are very well-presented, but the atmosphere of the city cannot be fully felt. I would have liked to read more about a migrant family’s perspective on the city.
Nevertheless, Aynalı is a must-read novel with its strong characters, gripping narrative, and impressive finale.
