Another beautiful work by Elif Shafak, a writer very close to many hearts around the world, Three Daughters of Eve follows the story of a young Turkish girl, Nazperi Nasbantoglu; people called her Peri.
Celebrate thy confusion
Book: Three Daughters of Eve
Author: Elif Shafak
Reviewed by: Saniyah Eman
Another beautiful work by Elif Shafak, a writer very close to many hearts around the world, Three Daughters of Eve follows the story of a young Turkish girl, Nazperi Nasbantoglu; people called her Peri.
A child who has always been forced to choose between the liberal views of her alcoholic father Mensur and the religious views of her mother Selma, Peri is a child of differences, strife and confusion. The book follows Peri’s childhood and the time she spends in Oxford in 2002, as an ambassador of the Turkish youth; but, it is intermittently woven by the events of a dinner party an older Peri Nazbantoglu attends in 2016 with her husband and daughter, Adnan and Denize.
Driven by her desire to please her father who insists that only an educated, modern youth can change Turkey’s fate and liberate it from the hands of pseudo-religious men, Peri puts all her energy into studies prior to the events of the 9/11 blast. It is here that she meets Mona, an unapologetically religious Egyptian girl who is often bullied for opting to cover her head by her own choice, and Shirin, an unflinching Iranian girl who didn’t practiced the faith. The three unlikely young women become friends and form the trio: the sinner, the believer and the confused; the three daughters of Eve.
It is on Shirin’s advice that Mona and Peri take a life-changing course, one of the most controversial courses offered by Oxford, titled God. It was taught by a most unusual young professor A.Z. Azur who captures young Peri’s head and heart in no time.
Three Daughters of Eve is as beautiful as any other of Elif Shafak’s works. But I might venture to say that while the philosophical ideas, the characters and the stern truth about the Turkish religious and bourgeoisie class as bitterly told as only a native Turk could, the storyline of this book is not as unexpected and thrilling as her earlier works of fiction like The Bastard of Istanbul and Honor.
Unlike her earlier works, the ending in Three Daughters of Eve is rather ambiguous and appears, on the second or third read, as thrown together in a hurry.
The character development is as perfect as you could expect of Shafak. Her characters flow from the book into your heart, living inside your head with the vivacity, boldness and dauntlessness their creator intended for them.
Shafak raised through Peri all the right questions that we are afraid to ask. Even though the characters are Turkish, they are relatable, and you will find reflections of your own ideas and thoughts inside every one of them, be it the extremely religious Selma Nazbantoglu, the confused Peri or the controversial A.Z. Azur.
If you are an Elif Shafak fan or if you’re interested in the idea of God and are willing to see Him through the eyes of a brave, bold worshipper, read the book. If you are into Fantasy Fiction, the book is not for you; try The Bastard of Istanbul and perhaps, Forty Rules of Love, both by Elif Shafak.
