In her second English language novel, Turkish author Elif Shafak confronts her country's genocidal past in a colorful tale set in both Turkey and the United States. At its center are the four sisters of the Kazanci family, who live together in Istanbul, and Armanoush, the Armenian-American stepdaughter of their brother, Mustapha. Events are set in motion when Armanoush secretly travels to Turkey and unwittingly uncovers a secret that links the two families together and ties them to the 1915 Armenian massacre. Full of vigorous, unforgettable women characters, The Bastard of Istanbul is a bold, powerful tale that will confirm Shafak as a rising star of international fiction.