Murray’s Reviews > A Mind at Peace > Status Update

Awaiting Nuran at the landing or focusing on the face of the clock when she failed to appear gave Mümtaz deep pleasure. It surprised him that men complained of the tendency women had of making others wait, a favorite fallback for comedians. Waiting for his beloved was delectable. Anything promising her presence was delicious ♥️

"You know what would happen to me when I was a girl? I'd have the sensation that I'd suddenly left my body. It approximated floating in emptiness. And I knew very well that I'd left it. I was extremely cold. For some reason, however, I didn't want to rejoin it. I awoke in that agonizing state, my teeth chattering wildly. You know that when I die, you'll no longer be attracted to my body."

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This novel is pure poetry and color, over the top with emotion and deepest thought.

It begins in pain for Mümtaz when his relationship with Nuran shatters. The pain increases when she leaves to return to her ex and they remarry.

Then the novel returns to when they first met and how their friendship grew into love.

There is so much beauty there.

Yet even early on the pain lurks, ready to strike hard.

They’re always drinking raki in this novel! 🍇

Raki is a popular Turkish alcoholic beverage—and the country's national drink—made from twice-distilled grapes or raisins and flavored with aniseed. It is a strong, 40%–50% alcohol by volume (ABV) spirit that turns milky white when mixed with water, earning it the nickname "lion's milk" (aslan sütü)/Wiki

Mumtaz raised his head and came eye to eye with Nuran, looking at her serenely, with a glance that emanated from depths and withheld nothing.

It was a glance, as a poet he admired had written, that dressed one in garments shorn of sunlight and yearning. Like those fortress keys of yore that were given to a conqueror on a gold platter or velvet pillow, Nuran presented her entirety through grin and gaze.

A man wanders the streets of Istanbul singing Türkü …. Which is to say ….

Singing Türkü refers to the performance of traditional Turkish folk songs. Türkü are a deeply rooted form of music that reflect the emotions, history, and daily life of the Turkish people, often passed down orally through generations.