This novel was a maddening read for me. On the one hand it is a fine piece of writing craftsmanship, deftly interweaving multiple themes, characters, and conflicts. On the other hand, it often fails at the points where it attempts to be real, or accurate, leaving the question in my mind as to whether readers who don't have the cultural, religious, and geographic background in which the novel is set are in some way deceived, or even confirmed in their prejudices.

This work is a blend of true geographical settings, historical events, and hot cultural controversies such as Muslim-Christian relations, Kurdish-Turkish relations, pro- and anti-Americanism, tradition and modernity, changing gender roles, and others, combined with a fictional plot in which the author attempts to get inside the heads of Kurdish and American players who are caught in and live these controversies. The reader must allow the author novelistic license. But if it is the author's intent at the same time to be historically, geographically, and culturally accurate--which seems to be the case here--then this book needs some serious editing.

Here are a few areas that seem deficient. The Turkish words and phrases used by the author are sometimes correct and sometimes glaringly wrong or inconsistent. He needed to have someone correct his Turkish usages, if it was his intention to be accurate. The tent city near where much of the novel takes place is some distance from Istanbul. One could not simply hop on public transport in the days following the earthquake, or even today, and arrive in the old parts of Istanbul in a few minutes. Turkey drives on the right. One cannot look down from the Bosphorus bridge to the water by driving in the far left lane, no matter which direction you go over the bridge. A real clanger: Muslims in Turkey are not buried in coffins. A Muslim girl raised traditionally would never speak of "walking down the aisle" as a way of describing a wedding.

Points like these are bothersome not simply as a matter of pedantry but because they lead me to question how well the author has understood traditional viewpoints in Turkey. He works hard to reveal the self-consciousness and mentalities of a traditional family. But if he hasn't got the external facts right, how accurate is he with these deeper matters? Is this novel really a helpful guide to the way that Kurdish people in Turkey think, or the way American expatriate Christians in Turkey think? Too often it struck me that the attempt to explain, for instance, the thoughts of a traditionally raised Kurdish young woman ends up being a back-handed critique of her life from a modern secular point of view. And so the reader who is unknowing is not helped.

The handling of description, characterization, plot, tensions, the personal within the political, and other aspects is masterful, and the author is to be commended for this achievement. The book is an undeniable page-turner and a satisfying read from many aspects. But whether it enlightens us -- as it seems to want to do -- regarding the real-life issues with which we must deal in this world is questionable. ( )

This was a very good read. The book shows some of the problems of the Middle East. One family, in particular, are at odds with everyone. They are Muslims/Kurds and are displaced refugees in Turkey. The teen-age daughter is fighting a moral battle with her Muslim values and the freedoms of the West.

It is a very insightful novel showing the problems Christians bring when they come to save the Turkish after the tremendous earthquake that brings destruction to the Turkish people.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes stories of other cultures. ( )

I loved this book. It was given to me at a library workshop. I am so glad I read it before putting into the collection. The author uses the love between two teens to highlight the struggle between Muslim and Christian cultures. Although it is a tragic tale, he shows how there can be friendship and tolerance between different cultures. ( )

enjoyed the writing, the author made me feel as if I was there. The characters were believable and shows that there's a bit of good in all of us and a bit of bad too. Young love with teens of different cultures. I liked the ending, there was no solid resolution and reminds me that we will live with the outcomes of our choices for the rest of our lives. ( )

Two teenagers falling in love, each questioning their parents' love, testing/clashing with their parents expectations and values. Two cultures/religions: American Christian vs. Kurdish Muslim. An earthquake which turns the lives of all the members of both families upside down and inside out. This is a sad story, a serious story, but also just the kind of book I like. I learned more about another culture/country. I was totally immersed in the story and didn't want to stop reading. Finally, I wavered back and forth in my sympathies and support for the beliefs and resulting actions of the various characters in this book. And I like that best of all because it really makes me question the basis for my own beliefs or values.

This is an impressive, moving novel that left me feeling rather bruised. In the aftermath of the Istanbul earthquake, Sinan Basioglu tries to hold his family together. But his nine-year-old son Ismail was traumatized by being buried in the rubble for three days (saved by the sacrifice of an American neighbor) and his seventeen-year-old daughter Irem, wounded by the knowledge that her parents do not love her as much as they love her brother, is clandestinely seeing an American boy, the neighbor’s son. Some reviews refer to this novel as a love story, but it’s not. Irem and Dylan are deeply unsuited to each other; indeed, their seems to be little attraction between them other than the lure of the forbidden. It is more a story about how difficult it is for two different cultures to interact with each other, when that interaction is fraught with troubling history and murky intentions. (Are the relief workers there to help, or to convert?) And it is about how completely trapped Irem is by the culture and family in which she has grown up. The ideas in this novel are powerful, but not encouraging. ( )

This book begins on the outskirts of Istanbul in 1999 just before a devastating earthquake strikes the area. Two families live in the same apartment building an American family Marucs and his wife and son Dylan, and a Kurdish family with two children Irem and Ismael. The lives of these two families become greatly intertwined when the American's wife dies trying to keep Ishmael safe as the earthquakes strikes. Irem on the other hand is becoming involved with the son Dylan much to the disapproval of her family. She wants more of a life that her mother has, and feels that she is not as important, and not loved as much by her father as Ishmael the son is. After the earthquake the family end up in a refugee camp where they must rely on missionaries who are Christian, and keen to impart their Christian beliefs to those in the camp. So in this book there is tension on many levels, between parents and children, between the Kurdish and American family, between the Muslims and the Christians, and within Irem herself as she is torn between the life her mother has and wanting something more but not being ready to throw away what she has. The characters and their struggles were very real to me. I enjoyed the book. It is not a feel good happy book but a real story that gave you a lot to think about This is a quote from the book that I really liked. It reminds me a bit of the Prophet on children “Our children are not ours. That is our mistake. We think they are. It seems so for awhile – but they aren’t. They never were.” ( )

Think The Kite-Runner meets Titanic. :D This is a great example of a sappy, dramatic love story. It's a well-written, lovely tale of a Kurdish Muslim girl and an American boy outside of Istanbul. The two start a secret relationship that escalates after a devastating earthquake. The families are tied together--his mother saved her brother during the quake--but the two shouldn't be together. Society is against them. It's quite the love story! ( )

In the debut novel Gardens Of Water, an earthquake, both physically and metaphorically, shatters the lives of two very different families. This collision sets the families on a path of sacrifice and pain so deep the reader is compelled to continue, hoping for happy ending, yet unable to imagine what that resolution might look like.

Sinan, a devout Kurdish Muslim, lives with his wife, teenage daughter, and young son outside the city of Istanbul. In the apartment above them lives an American Christian, Marcus, with his own wife and teenaged son. After a party celebrating Sinan’s son’s entry to manhood, a devastating earthquake strikes. The earthquake does more than destroy these two families’ homes; it destroys everything each man holds dearest.

Soon Sinan’s family is living in an American refugee camp where Marcus attempts to befriend them. What was once an innocent flirtation between the two teenagers turns into a dangerous march toward rebellion. Their story is in some ways so typical of any teen love story, yet so much more dangerous in their setting. As his daughter’s rebellion swells and his son’s nightmares unfurl, Sinan labors to gather funds in order to return his family to the unspoiled small-town of his youth. There, Sinan believes, he can protect his family from Western influences. But, as the teen lovers hover dangerously close to an edge, the tension builds like a wall of loose brick awaiting another earthquake. The reader knows it’s coming, can feel the little aftershocks; yet when the proverbial earthquake happens, the reader is devastated along with the characters left standing.

Gardens Of Water might first appear a convoluted read, but the actual reading is so smooth and well driven one forgets the multi-layered complications involved in Muslim and Christian relations. The writing is vivid and enlightening with perfectly building tension. The teen scenes are Romeo and Juliet inspired, each heartbeat quickening the tale. My favorite quote from the novel is so very poignant (especially to this empty nest Mom): “Our children are not ours. That is our mistake. We think they are. It seems so for awhile – but they aren’t. They never were.”

This story also provides an exceptional look at the American influence in the world and the Muslim desire to hold onto it’s own traditions. There are enumerable cultural perspectives and the negatives of each religion are evenly portrayed. The appendix of author conversations offers further enlightenment.

Gardens Of Water is a brilliant story to be especially enjoyed by lovers of historical fiction, or those enjoying themes of conflict between religion, culture and modern ideals, or remorse for past decisions, or the blossoming danger of forbidden love.

Review first published on Many A Quaint & Curious Volume
© Tasses 2007-2009 ( )

Good parents are always trying to do what they think is best for their children and Sinan, a Muslim Kurd living near Istanbul with his family, is no different. This thoughtful debut novel takes place in 1999 just prior to a devastating earthquake that serves to bring Sinan’s family and the American family of Marcus Hamm together. While Sinan is focusing his attention on the right-of-passage of his son Ismail’s circumcision, his teenaged daughter, Irem, is beginning to flirt with Dylan Hamm, who lives upstairs. Sinan is not a fundamentalist, and, in fact criticizes some basic fundamentalist values and traditions, but he is decidedly conservative and demands submission from his wife and daughter. When the earthquake strikes and Ismail is saved by virtue of Dylan’s mother, the families become uncomfortably intertwined. As Irem feels more neglected and more secondary she gravitates more toward the lure of Dylan and his modern ways. The story provokes many discussion points as it contrasts the traditions and values of Sinan’s Kurdish culture with the good, but proselytizing, intensions of the missionary groups who quickly come to the aid of the citizens in need. The story also carefully considers the cultural bias against the Kurds from their own countrymen. The author lived in Istanbul during the Marmara earthquake and shows sensitivity toward both sides of the story. He is also able to create vivid pictures of the landscape as well as thoughtfully describing the inner feelings of his characters. ( )

It seems that there has been a flux of popular fiction recently centered on various Middle Eastern countries & their customs. And while I enjoy learning about them for the most part, I feel like I can read only so many of them. Fortunately, this one didn't disappoint me. If you're looking for an uplifting, happy story, this might not be the one for you. Rather, it deals with tragedy on many levels while interweaving two distinct peoples & religions in a very believable storyline. I felt Irem was a very believable character, wanting desperately to gain some independence but yet not quite ready to leave the comforts of family, something I think many teenage girls worldwide must feel, regardless of culture or upbringing. The novel goes back & forth, with Irem's point of view alternated with that of her father, Sinan, and while the relationship between the two of them is somewhat subtle, Alan Drew does a good job of bringing it full circle near the end. I found the last portion of this book especially engaging, albeit disturbing. Overall, this was an excellent debut novel & one which I would recommend. ( )

This book was an excellent character study of the family dynamic in an Islamic, Middle Eastern country. I loved the daughter's struggle between following in her mother's footsteps and allowing the independent woman inside of her to surface. Mr. Drew paints a lush picture of Turkey and has a flair for providing detail without going overboard. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the relationship between family members or the role of women in Islamic societies. I learned some things about Muslims that I did not know before. ( )

http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/2008... ( )

In many ways Gardens of Water reminded me of A Fine Balance. Alan Drew creates such a sense of place in this book that a felt like I was watching a newsreel. I also came to deeply care for the characters, especially Sinan Basioglu, his daughter Irem and the American Marcus. Sinan tries his best to provide for his family and protect them from all the dangers of being a hated minority. Despite his best efforts their lives are reduced to rubble. There is unimaginable loss, humiliation, fear and misunderstanding even among those whom Sinan loves. (I found the portrayal of the missionaries especially sad, but true) ( )

In the aftermath of an earthquake that virtually destroyed their village, two families' lives become increasingly and dangerously intertwined. Irem, the daughter of a hard-working, poor and proud father is attracted to Dylan, the disaffected son of an American rescue worker. This relationship challenges the values of her family and community and the author beautifully describes Irem's conflicted feelings as well as her family's reactions. The author Alen Drew lived and worked in Turkey in 1999 and arrived there just four days before a devastating earthquake, and much of this book's setting was inspired by that period in his life.
I really enjoyed this book and found the characters well-drawn and completely believable. It's hard for us overfed and well-housed Americans to imagine how people live normally in this part of the world, let alone survive after this sort of disaster. Yet, not only do they survive, they maintain as much as possible their dignity and pride which, as we learn in the book, is not based on material goods or property. So not only was this a great read, but it gave me a lot to think about. It would be an excellent book club selection. ( )

The story is based in Turkey and told through the eyes Sinnan, a father and a Kurd, a persecuted group of peoples in the Middle East. It's about misconceptions but the scale that it's on is so sad. Combined with the ways of life of a Kurd wrecks havoc on a family.

I had a hard time connecting to the main character Sinnan. After thinking on it maybe I wasn't supposed to. His world view is so different from mine.

It wasn't compelling enough. I could see what the author was trying to get across but it wasn't a good story as I think it could have been. ( )

It has been nine years since the deadly Turkish earthquake of 1999, and yet the upheavals described in Gardens of Water echo throughout the news of today. Sinan, a Kurdish refugee shopkeeper working to establish a life in Turkey, fights to keep Turkey's liberal secular influences from affecting his family. But then the earthquake strikes, and the Turkish influences are joined with even more Western influences in the form of an American family who gives shelter and aid to Sinan and his wife and children.

One of those children, his teenaged daughter Irem, has already felt the temptations of the West as personified by Dylan, the American family's son. Thrown together in a post-earthquake refugee camp, Dylan and Irem test boundaries for both of their families. Irem is forbidden to see Dylan, confined to the family tent. "She was stained with rumors because of a kiss. But it wasn't a stupid kiss; it was everything; it was what she wanted most, the only thing that made her happy. And the walls of the tent were crowding in and her mother wouldn't shut up and she thought she would explode."

Questions of honor arise... the honor of women, the honor of Kurds, the honor of Muslims, the honor of good and decent individuals caught up in a chaos beyond their control. The clash of cultures leads to tragedy, though it is a tragedy accompanied by understanding.

The resonance of current events comes with the subtle examination of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict, and a more explicit description of the good intentions of American Christians and the road they pave. Sinan's father fell victim to Turkish oppression, but Sinan must acknowledge that his father provoked the oppressor. The American missionaries provide a rapid response to the disaster, bringing in desperately needed housing, food, and water, but their insistence on proselytizing and conversion brings about suspicion and even retaliation from both devout and militant Muslims in the camps. Author Alan Drew may not have set out to draw parallels, but he does draw all the difficulties faced by all of the characters with balance and care, never preaching, and understanding the conflicts he limns so well results in a deeper understanding of the conflicts we face now.

The complexities of the issues are served well by Drew's talent for storytelling, and his command of language is masterful. Early on, Sinan "watched the streak of black water beyond the rooftops, and the city lights strewn around the bay like a necklace. The tea-black sky floated above him, punctured with only three stars, just three tiny pinpricks. At night in the village there were more stars than night sky, more world out there staring back than there were people in the whole of this city, probably more than there were people in all of the world's cities." The transitions between plot development and thought processes, between exterior event and interior monologues, are seamless, descriptions are lyrical yet never self-conscious or forced. If there were "little darlings," he either killed them all or wove them in so skillfully that the language is never a distraction from the story but rather lifts it up and carries it along. "Gardens of Water," with its masterful blending of fiction and historical fact, is one of the finest stories told in recent years. ( )

This book was very well-written. The author provided a fair and even view point for each character - leading the reader to have sympathy for all involved whether they agreed or disagreed. It was a very different perspective on a multitude of relationships: father-daughter, mother-daughter, husband-wife, brother-sister, boyfriend-girlfriend, etc. Each relationship had its own level of balance and it was very interesting to see how the other relationships can throw off that balance. ( )

I really enjoyed this book, it was a quick engaging read, and it gave me things to think about once I had finished it. The author made the characters all understandable - though some could have been developed in a more compelling way. It's always interesting once you read a book, and then the issues that it brings up seem to be all over the new -- issues regarding the PKK, the Kurds and much more are more noticeable now that I've finished it. ( )

It always amazes me that after a disaster, such as this earthquake, religious people thank God and call him merciful for sparing them. Where is the mercy in allowing the earthquake at all? In fact, I would like to ask intelligent design advocates of the intelligence behind hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes. This novel is full of people thanking a merciful God without much thought to the lack of mercy shown to the more than 17,000 people crushed in the terrible 1999 Marmara earthquake and its aftershocks.

At times I was annoyed at the Christians using a disaster as an opportunity to convert people who only want to be left alone. During a conversation between father (Sinan) and his son, Ismael, Sinan asks himself if there is any place we can be left alone. In an interview with the author, he reflects on his visit to Turkey. He arrived four days before the quake, and he seems to chide the Christians for taking advantage of desperate people, yet he places words in the mouth of Marcus, a relief worker, who also tries to convert Ismael, that seems to excuse his behavior, claiming he was only offering hope to the young boy, who was depressed and suffering over all the loss of life around him.

What Drew has done is subtly hint that Christianity is better than Islam because the latter offers no hope. I wonder if this is an example of Christian fiction I have assiduously avoided. I have always been staunchly against missionaries. They have caused enormous damage to cultures, art, artifacts and whole populations over the last 2,000 years. Why missionaries believe they can simply go to a village, or a city, or a foreign country and tell native peoples what they have believed for generations is all wrong, but the missionaries have the correct answer, never ceases to mystify me.

This novel is the third I have read recently in which the characters refer to his or her father as “Baba.” Pashtuns in 20th century Afghanistan, Chinese peasants in the early 19th century, and now Kurds in Turkey in the 1990s. It is also the third recent read which describes the horrific treatment of women and female children at the hands of males, including fathers and brothers. Ismael and his sister try to break out of the family traditions with an innocent view of the world, life, and love. But this is the ultimate loss that so threatens the Muslim world. If their children turn away from the old ways and the old beliefs, Islam has no future in the eyes of the Muslim fundamentalists. This inability to accept an updating of their beliefs, and acceptance of some modern ways, has stunted growth in the Middle East. These people are refusing to accept the birth pangs of a new way of looking at the world, which the West endured during the Renaissance to throw off the stranglehold the Catholic Church held over Europe in the Middle Ages.

The description of the earthquake is gripping, the exploration of Sinan’s anguish at his losses, are touching, and overall, Alan Drew has written an interesting story, but he is no Orhan Pamuk, the recent Nobel Prize winning author from Turkey. Four stars of five.

--Jim, 2/24/08 ( )

"Gardens of Water" provided a vehicle for seeing the gray area between differing views. Alan Drew brings a rare realism to the people and events of this novel. He looks at the edge between points of view and helps us see the sides from all directions. There are no absolutes about anything in this novel. Drew examines conflicts between filial duty and youth using the vehicle of religious beliefs without using fundamentalist extremes. There are refreshing and surprising perspectives driving the characters, and while in the depths of the book one is hopeful that history won't repeat itself. I highly recommend it for it's complex and layered honesty presented in a situation that fortunately few of us have had to endure. ( )

Gardens of Water tells the story of how the lives of a working class, conservative Muslim family from outside of Istanbul were impacted by the horrible earthquake of 1999. Sinan Basioglu, a hard-working man with a club foot, tries to do his best by his family and keep close to his God. Circumstances force them to take shelter in a relief camp established by Christian Americans. This time spent at the camp is most especially confusing to İrem, Sinan and Nilüfer’s 15-year-old daughter. Living in the camp provides her with a freedom she hasn’t known since her early childhood. When she falls in love with Dylan, the teenage son of an American expatriate teacher, the entire Basioglu family is caused to question who they are and what is expected from them.

It’s interesting to me how there are times when two or three books I read in a row carry a similar thread. Gardens of Water, although it takes place in the Middle East, continued my thoughts on the plight of women in society. In The Tea Room, Fiona struggled against the prevailing prejudice that women are not capable to and should not run businesses. The female characters in The Witch’s Trinity were accused of witchcraft when life became hard because of the Judeo-Christian prejudices against them that began with Eve’s first bite of that apple in the Garden of Eden. For a Muslim girl like İrem, a simple school girl crush could threaten to ruin her family name and negatively impact her younger brother’s future. For many women, life is not all that more safe today than it was back in the time of the witch trials.

Alan Drew’s debut novel is rich in its details about life in Turkey and about what it feels like and means to be Muslim. I found this especially true in his descriptions of the scenery. I felt like I saw Istanbul from a distance and could feel the water over my toes. The scene where Sinan was carrying televisions on his back as he tried to hustle through the streets of Instanbul was probably my favorite. Not only did I feel Sinan’s desperation, I felt his isolation as a Kurd in Turkish society. If you are interested in Kurdish culture, the family life of modern conservative Muslims, or are just looking for an involving book to read, I strongly suggest Gardens of Water.

http://literatehousewife.wordpress.co... ( )

A terrific debut novel about a conservative Kurdish family in transition in Turkey -- geographic transition, due first to military instability and then an earthquake; and cultural transition, initially sandwiched between Islamic fundamentalists and secularists, then among Western (American) Christians.

Alan Drew develops sympathetic and true characters, and his writing style, sprinkling of foreign-language terms, and evocative settings immerse the reader in 1999 Turkey (on a par with Khaled Hosseini's style). Short chapters and alternating viewpoints (a father and his 15-year-old daughter) keep the story moving, though at a leisurely pace until the final 75 pages.

This novel entertained and informed me, but it also did the best thing a book can do: it inspired me to learn more -- outside of the story -- by seeking and exploring additional sources on my own. Highly recommended! ( )

So many losses occur in this multi-layered book, beginning with the earthquake that crumbled buildings, society, and family connections in an Istanbul suburb before the millenium.

The characterization of Sinan was faultless. I never thought I could feel the pain of a Muslim man, but his essence was convincingly conveyed despite its many facets. In his heart, he knew the Americans were a threat to his Kurdish way of life, but the obligation of his son's life overruled his doubts and caused him to let his guard down. His emotional conflicts were as distressing to me as was his male pride and poor treatment of his daughter.

Most distressing, however, was the surreptitious religious imperialism. The prejudices and judgments that often accompany organized religion showed up in the "relief" camps. People who had lost everything now had their traditions and beliefs questioned, resulting in the ultimate degradation. With all this upheaval, it was no wonder that Irem (Sinan's 15-year-old daughter) was so confused by her first small taste of freedom and the attention of an equally confused American teen.

What a spellbinding book. I was transported to a fascinating and complicated part of the world. My understanding of this bewildering culture was greatly enriched by the author's comments at the end. I highly recommend Alan Drew's well-researched and heartfelt first novel. ( )

An excellent and complex novel about loss. A muslim family of Kurds in Turkey copes with an earthquake. Their fate is intricately connected with their American neighbors. The author examines in detail the muslim religion and how the Kurdish family copes with the changes in their life. The treatment of women and their subjugation under Islamic law and the Kurdish tradition is at the core of the family’s story.

Extremely well written, the author takes some risks with his storytelling. I don’t want to reveal any plot-spoilers, but there are two narrators, and one of them undergoes a life-changing experience that is rare in a novel. But the author pulls it off with skill and sensitivity.

The treatment of the religion of Islam is powerful and complex. The comfort it gives the sufferers of the earthquake is clearly described, yet I couldn’t help but be saddened by the barbaric and backwards aspects of the religion: the treatment of women, the honor killings, the resignation to fate and the lack of hope.

Yet the novel is not anti-muslim, or anti-Turkish or Kurdish. It is well balanced and surprisingly realistic in it’s treatment of all the many religions and cultures present in Turkey.

Highly recommended. ( )