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  • 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

  • Written by: Elif Shafak
  • Narrated by: Alix Dunmore
  • Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (53 ratings)

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10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

Written by: Elif Shafak
Narrated by: Alix Dunmore
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Publisher's Summary

Bloomsbury presents 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak, read by Alix Dunmore.

Shortlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize
Named a Best Book of the Year by Bookpage, NPR, Washington Post, and The Economist

A moving novel on the power of friendship in our darkest times, from internationally renowned writer and speaker Elif Shafak.

In the pulsating moments after she has been murdered and left in a dumpster outside Istanbul, Tequila Leila enters a state of heightened awareness. Her heart has stopped beating but her brain is still active—for 10 minutes 38 seconds. While the Turkish sun rises and her friends sleep soundly nearby, she remembers her life—and the lives of others, outcasts like her.

Tequila Leila’s memories bring us back to her childhood in the provinces, a highly oppressive milieu with religion and traditions, shaped by a polygamous family with two mothers and an increasingly authoritarian father. Escaping to Istanbul, Leila makes her way into the sordid industry of sex trafficking, finding a home in the city’s historic Street of Brothels. This is a dark, violent world, but Leila is tough and open to beauty, light, and the essential bonds of friendship.

In Tequila Leila’s death, the secrets and wonders of modern Istanbul come to life, painted vividly by the captivating tales of how Leila came to know and be loved by her friends. As her epic journey to the afterlife comes to an end, it is her chosen family who brings her story to a buoyant and breathtaking conclusion.

©2019 Elif Shafak (P)2019 Penguin Random House Audio
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What listeners say about 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

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Another great book by Elif Shafak

I loved the story, and it was everything you would expect from the author. She masters the art of storytelling and brings us into the world of the downtrodden and marginalized. I always learn so much from her stories. This book will stay with me.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Okay

I enjoy most books by Elif Shafak. The first 2/3’s of this book were engrossing. The last 1/3 felt like it was written by a completely different author.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Can’t stop listening.

Magnificent language and engaging story. Characters are all painted so magically leaving a deep impression. A must listen and each character is distinctly vocally identified.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting story

Smoothly pictured crisis in society
I couldn’t stop listening until I finished
I like this writer, her creativity and mindset.

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