Kind-Hearted Sinners

Available in English for the first time, this novel is an unrelenting and harsh glimpse into modern Istanbul. Far from a glorification of the ancient city, Istanbul is portrayed as an anonymous metropolis that is a mere backdrop for two unnamed lovers. This book gives a first-person lyrical account of an unraveling of a love affair as the narrator attempts to salvage the pieces of his broken heart and mind. Both the protagonist and his unidentified love interest hail from the underclass, and resist polite society, as love, internal struggle, and the loss of identity are the prevailing themes in this melancholy and semi-existentialist story.