Beyond Diaries

It has been exactly 3 days since I finished reading Elif Shafak’s “10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World“, and yet I am unable to take it out of me. It is one of the rare books that had such a poignant effect on me. As I flipped through the last page of the book I wished there was never an end to Leila’s story. If this makes me stay awake and write about it at midnight, it surely has the power to ignite the minds of the people who read this.

Leila/Leyla is a brothel worker who is murdered and brutally dumped in a bin. The book takes you through Leila’s consciousness for 10 minutes and 38 seconds as her brain continues to function. Elif paints a vivid picture of Leila’s consciousness as she recollects parts of her memories. Leila recollects herself as a newborn, an infant, an adolescent, and finally an adult. She remembers the details by associating them with taste, and, how beautiful is that! Slowly as her brain is about to shut down completely, the recollection of memories paints a compelling story that mirrors the colors of life itself.

The book is not merely a work of fiction. It is a story about love, friendships, trust, and above all, about marginalized individuals. It is not just Leila’s journey but also the journey of her friends which is interwoven so pristinely. Elif’s writing is thought-provoking in every sense. Every time she writes, it reminds me of the importance of human existence. It makes me wonder about the impact we can have on the lives of those who go unnoticed or those who hide under the veil as they fear society. Each paragraph beautifully alludes to a deeper meaning, like the depths of darkness in an ocean.

The book is a reminder that we should value our identities and love ourselves for what we are. It is a reminder that one cannot escape the bonds of society, but one can free themselves from the shackles of fear. It is finally a reminder that we all are at war with ourselves, and sometimes we lose, while at times we win. Life is about the journey that we go through while at war. The end doesn’t matter anyway when you have lived the moment you always wanted to live.

I sincerely hope that no Leila has to ever go through the turmoils of life and that no Leila should disappear like the sun behind the dark clouds.

I lived this novel, I truly did.