Perhaps if we cannot find what we need the most in life, namely love, sincerity, and trust, things start to go wrong. When ambition, fear, selfishness, and guilt are added to the challenging flow of life, relationships suffer deep wounds. Yet the warmth of love is the most endurable power that makes life worth living.
Kierkegaard says, “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” People forget this valuable advice. Problems become heavy, they struggle, become exhausted. Just like Azra, Peri, Şevval, and Yasemin.
“Aşkın Dört Hali” by Neslihan Stamboli, which has been published under the label of Ayrıkotu Kitap, is now available on bookshelves for readers to enjoy. The novel tells the story of four young women who have not been able to recognize true love under the shadows of emotions such as greed, fear, guilt, and selfishness, as they struggle with the pains they experienced, the difficulties they faced, and the disappointments they encountered in their lives due to the wrong men they met in 90s Istanbul, and how they ultimately discover what is right for themselves by confronting the truth, in a striking language.
If we cannot find what we need most in life, such as love, sincerity, and trust, things start to go wrong. When greed, fear, selfishness, and guilt are added to the challenging flow of life, relationships suffer deep wounds. However, the warmth of love is what makes life the most bearable.
In “Aşkın Dört Hali,” there are four young women who have not been able to find true love. They struggle with their pains, the difficulties they face, the wrong men who enter their lives, and the disappointments they encounter. Their lives turn into a process of discovering themselves by confronting the truth. This solid, seamless flow of events takes place in Istanbul in the 90s. It is the time when each of them begins to bravely shout out their freedom in their personal lives and careers, defend their rights, and realize their strength.
Azra, who thinks she does not deserve love, Şevval, who chooses freedom over love, Perigül, who believes that she can obtain the happiness she will never find in love with money, and Yasemin, who avoids love because she is afraid of losing her daughter. Four young women who could not recognize true love under the shadows of emotions such as greed, fear, guilt, and selfishness. They learn to confront the truth while experiencing the pains, difficulties, and disappointments they encountered due to the wrong men who entered their lives. And in the end, they discover that they have the power to make the right choice for themselves.
Neslihan Stamboli enters the secret world of women with her striking and easy-to-read style. She showcases the secrets they keep deep inside. In the misty background of Istanbul, the heroes’ inner world emerges from the mist and reaches the lines. Sometimes, accepting reality as it is, is the best thing to do.
Neslihan Stamboli
Neslihan Stamboli graduated from Robert College and then received her education in Administrative Sciences in England. After starting her career in the finance sector in Istanbul, she returned to London and completed her degree in French Language and Literature at the University of London. She also started a master’s program in Psychology and Organizational Behavior at the same university. Her book titled Beyaz, which consists of essays that provide a contemporary interpretation of some of the views of Samkya philosophy on human and social psychology, was published in 2007. She then published her epic novel consisting of two books, Kırık Rapsodi and Rüya. The same novel was published in the United States in 2015 as a three-volume set (Broken Rhapsody, A Retake on War, and Csardas) in English translation by the author herself, who writes in both Turkish and English. Stamboli was a finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom competition in 2017 with her latest novel, A Twist in the Tail.
