Read our July Monthly Spotlight: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak
This month, we revisit this life-affirming novel that was shortlisted in 2019. Read an exclusive interview with the author, explore an extract and reading guide, and win a copy of the novel
Throughout July, we’re celebrating our latest Monthly Spotlight book, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by
.Elif Shafak is an award-winning and prolific British-Turkish novelist whose work has been translated into 57 languages. She has published 19 books, with 10 Minutes… being her 11th novel. As well as being shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2019, the novel was shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize; longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award; and chosen as Blackwell's Book of the Year.
An intensely beautiful and haunting story about the wonder of life, the mystery of death, and the strange space in between, 10 Minutes… unfolds in the moments following the murder of Tequila Leila. As the Turkish sun rises and her friends sleep soundly nearby, Leila reflects on her life and the lives of other outcasts like her.
Shafak’s novel draws inspiration from the real-life death of a sex worker in Istanbul. ‘As a novelist I am interested in untold stories – the stories of women, the stories of minorities, the stories that have been conveniently erased, forgotten,’ the author said recently, in an exclusive interview with the Booker Prizes. A passionate advocate for women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and freedom of expression, she has been lauded by many, including the Financial Times, as ‘Turkey's leading female novelist’.
This July, join us in celebrating this work that gives voice to the invisible. You can read Shafak’s full interview on our Monthly Spotlight page, where she also discusses the authors who have influenced her, the importance of protecting literary spaces, and her ‘slightly insane’ writing routine. You can also read an extract from the novel, explore our reading guide, and enter our competition to win a copy of the book plus a Booker Prize tote bag. Happy reading!
An interview with Elif Shafak: 'I am drawn to the silenced'
The author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, our Monthly Spotlight title for July, discusses why she is drawn to writing about society’s marginalised voices.
‘The art of storytelling can bring the periphery to the centre and make the invisible a bit more visible, the unheard just a bit better heard. I come from a country that is to a large extent shaped by collective amnesia. Turkey has a long and rich history but that does not translate into strong memory. Just the opposite, history, the way it is taught and canonised, is almost always his-story. Never her-story. And not the stories of men from poorer backgrounds or minority cultures and so on, but the stories of men in positions of power and authority. The moment you ask, who is telling this narrative, and who was not allowed to tell it, everything shifts.’
Read an extract from 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
For Leila, each minute after her death brings a sensuous memory: the taste of spiced goat stew, sacrificed by her father to celebrate the long-awaited birth of a son; the bubbling vats of lemon and sugar women use to wax their legs while men attend mosque; the scent of cardamom coffee that Leila shares with a handsome student in the brothel where she works. Each memory, too, recalls the friends she made at each key moment in her life – friends who are now desperately trying to find her.
Read an extract from the opening of the novel here.
Discover our reading guide
Whether you’re new to 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World or have read it and would like to explore it more deeply, discover more in our comprehensive guide, which includes a synopsis, character summaries, critics’ comments and a range of discussion points for book clubs.
Win a copy of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World and a Booker Prize tote bag
To celebrate our latest Monthly Spotlight, we are giving you the chance to win one of five copies of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, plus a limited-edition Booker Prize tote bag. This competition is open to readers across the world. Good luck!
Have you read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, or are you joining us in reading the novel this month? If so, we’d love to hear what you think in the comments below
A gem 💎💕📚💕💎