PositiveThe Washington Independent Review of BooksThe hybridity of [the] language reflects the hybrid vision of identity that this novel so eloquently puts on display ... Mahir Guven has many purposes in this book, certainly, but insofar as ideology is concerned, his arguments are consistently and unwaveringly humanist in character, one that vigorously refuses notions based on birth, blood, and fate, promoting instead thought and choice. Yet his novel is not exclusively about ideological engagement ... It is also superbly plotted, with enough narrative twists to keep any reader on his or her toes. When the younger brother returns to France (as indeed he must), the plot thickens in a satisfying manner, the narrative rhythm accelerates, and events in several different registers are set on a collision course.
Sarah Léon, Trans. by John Cullen
MixedWorld Literature TodayIt has been said that one of the characteristics of nascent Romanticism is the display of extreme emotion, and in the very confined space of this tale there is more than enough Sturm und Drang ... Passages of flashback to the time of [the protagonists\'] previous relationship are intercalated with narration in present time; the latter is told in the third-person omniscient, while the former are narrated by Hermin in the first-person singular. Some readers may find that technique to be contrived and a bit tired. Yet most will agree that Sarah Léon has interesting things to say about friendship and love—and about the way that those two registers of feeling vex each other.
