10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

In the moments following her murder, as her body lies discarded in a dumpster on the outskirts of Istanbul, Tequila Leila’s mind remains startlingly alive—for exactly 10 minutes and 38 seconds. In that liminal space between life and death, her consciousness floods with vivid memories of the people and places that shaped her: a troubled childhood in a repressive, patriarchal household; her escape to the chaotic, vibrant streets of Istanbul; and the deep, defiant friendships she forged on the city’s historic street of brothels as a sex worker in a society that cast her aside.

Through Leila’s recollections, Elif Shafak paints a poignant portrait of Istanbul’s underbelly and the bonds between outcasts who find strength and love in one another. As Leila’s mind fades, it is her chosen family who refuses to let her story be forgotten, offering a powerful reflection on memory, belonging, and resistance in the face of marginalization.