Shafak writes with vision, bravery and compassion . . . a stunning portrait of a city, a society, a small community and a single soul.

The New York Times Book Review

Shafak is a master of captivating moments that provide a sprawling and intimate vision of Istanbul . . . Ultimately, “10 Minutes” isn't really about death, but the persistence of love.

The Washington Post

A beautifully written tour de force of exemplary storytelling.

Library Journal (starred review)

Extraordinary . . . a piercing, unflinching look at the trauma women's minds and bodies are subjected to in a social system defined by patriarchal codes.

The Guardian

Ever-courageous Turkish writer Shafak creates another resilient woman protagonist at odds with Turkey's repressive society . . . [A] seductively imaginative, rambunctiously humorous, complexly tragic, and lyrically redemptive tale . . . Shafak's motley and compassionate cast embodies both the brutal consequences of tyranny and the power of individuals to undermine it in a full-tilt novel set in a fabled city, a swirling microcosm of human complexity and paradox.

starred review, Booklist

Gripping . . . Through flashbacks to [the protagonist's] life in modern-day Turkey, minute by minute, you'll feel her wonder, her joy, her pain. You'll feel empathy for a girl whose life is upended from the day she is born. It's companionship with other Istanbul transplants that saves Leila from complete despair. And as you get to know Leila's other friends on the margins of society, you find yourself rooting for them in the unlikeliest of endeavors.

NPR's Book Concierge