Welcome to the Book Review Book Club! Every month, we select a book to discuss with our readers. Last month, we read “Kin,” by Tayari Jones. (You can also go back and listen to our episodes on “Wuthering Heights,” “The Hounding” and “What We Can Know.”)
Have you ever heard the premise of a book and, based on concept alone, thought: “Wait, yes, I absolutely have to read this”? That’s how I felt when I heard the setup of Kenan Orhan’s new novel, “The Renovation.”
Here’s the pitch: Dilara, a Turkish exile living in Italy, is in the middle of a bathroom renovation. When the contractors leave, she steps into the refurbished space and discovers not a bathroom but … a prison cell. And not just a copy of a cell, but a real one — walking through the doorway seems to transport Dilara to Istanbul’s infamous Silivri Prison. Slowly Dilara’s dismay turns into acceptance. Something about the cell calls to her and, for better or for worse, she can’t resist its draw.
It was at this point that I thought: Enough, I’m in!
What could be a zany tale of real estate gone wrong soon gives way to a more searching, poignant story. Dilara desperately misses Turkey, which she can never return to because her father was labeled a dissident by the ruling government. And speaking of her father, he’s dying of Alzheimer’s, losing both his memories and his physical faculties.
It’s all bearing down on Dilara, who must figure out if the prison cell that has suddenly appeared is a retreat or a trap. Is it a bridge to the country she misses or a gateway for the danger she fled? And what will she sacrifice for a taste of home?
In April, the Book Review Book Club will read and discuss “The Renovation,” by Kenan Orhan. We’ll be chatting about it on the Book Review podcast that airs on April 24, and we’d love for you to join the conversation. Share your thoughts about the novel in the comments section of this article by April 16, and we may mention your observations in the episode.
Here’s some related reading to get you started.
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Kirkus’s review of “The Renovation”: “There’s a lot of emotional power between the drama and the premise here — what seems merely impossible is quickly overwhelmed by the tale’s connecting thread, this inability to recover what has been lost.” Read the full review here.
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NPR’s interview with Orhan about “The Renovation”: “She really gloms onto this obsession with being back in Turkey,” Orhan explains. “She finds a lot of camaraderie in these people who start filling up the prison cells around her. And more than that, the cell itself starts to provide these nuggets of magic for her, whether it’s a delicious cup of coffee from her favorite cafe or sweet rolls of marzipan that are just like her favorite postija in Istanbul. She convinces herself that it’s worth it being confined to a place.” Read the full interview here.
We can’t wait to discuss the novel with you. In the meantime, happy reading!
The post Book Club: Read ‘The Renovation,’ by Kenan Orhan, With the Book Review appeared first on New York Times.
