“Ramadan is about creating an understanding of the feelings of the underprivileged, and the aim isn't hardship or reducing consumption. There are a lot of misunderstandings about Islam in contemporary society. This event has been created to promote understanding of religious teachings in Turkey.”

^ I can appreciate that the passage starts with good intentions, bringing up empathy for the underprivileged and acknowledging misunderstandings about Islam. But it felt like such a missed teaching opportunity. The author was already on the topic anyway, so I feel like ending the sentence with ‘…religious teachings in Turkey and for Muslims worldwide’ would have made so much more sense instead of localising it. I mean how it’s written makes it sound like Ramadan and iftar are practices specific to Turkey only 🫩

When the book describes iftar as just “a meal that people in Turkey have to break their fast,” I wasn't sure if that was just Reiko’s limited perspective or an author oversight, but it’s completely inaccurate. Iftar is a global Islamic religious practice observed by Muslims worldwide during Ramadan, not some niche, Turkey-specific cultural dish. 🫩

“When it came to appearance, the world's standards were so harsh that, unless you built thick walls like she had done, unless you continued to affirm yourself with a great tenacity of spirit, it became difficult to lead your life with a sense of pride.”

Love this quote - so very relevant!

I imagined the characters to be exactly like the cast from American Horror Story! Esp the newly released S13 trailer 😙 Jessica Lange as Violet, Emma Roberts as Susie, Sarah Paulson as Heather, Angela Bassett as Julianne, Paul Anthony Kelly as Robert etc 🙂‍↕️

I feel like every single chapter from Damian & Bianca’s POVs have been a non-stop repetition of each other, and I’m getting so tired of it 😭