by
Once upon a time, a very long time ago, a girl rode a silver dragon across the ocean to a far-off land. She came bearing beautiful trinkets and treasures, but during her journey she was set upon by thieves and bandits. Waiting for help to reclaim her treasures, she found none came and so set off to avenge herself . . .
Or maybe it wasn’t that long ago and perhaps she was a grown woman? And perhaps she didn’t ride a dragon, but an airplane? And perhaps she just had to suck it up and accept that she was silly and naïve, and it was her own fault she had been robbed?
Maybe it happened like that, maybe it didn’t . . .
Naked in Turkey details the journey of a woman travelling through Anatolia, translating a collection of fables and immersing herself in the folklore of the Turkish people. Her uneventful academic expedition turns into an adventure rife with treasure maps, mysterious creatures, thieves, and bandits. As she finds herself becoming an unwitting heroine of folkloric proportions, the stories she collects bleed into her life in surprising ways. Losing herself in the emerging legends of her new persona, she leaves the many damaging beliefs and painful stories of the old one behind. Only after carefully peeling back the layers of her previous life, and finding the truth can’t always be stripped bare, can she forge ahead as master of her own tale.
Thankfully, a taxi approached me before I had another second to consider the increasingly oppressive heat. The driver got out and gave me a thumbs-up. He looked as if he were one hundred years old. His face was so lined from age that I couldn’t make out his eyes from inside the deep crease of his forehead and cheeks. But he smiled enthusiastically and I gave him a thumbs-up back, handing him the bus schedule. He nodded and grabbed my first piece of luggage, then threw it in his trunk with less care than I preferred, but with surprising ease considering his possible age. He tossed my second and third suitcases as effortlessly as the first into the trunk and slammed it shut. He opened the backseat door for me and I got in, looking forward to catching my first view of Istanbul during the ride.
READ MOREHad I been able to enjoy the scenery, I might have seen the towering blue mosque in Sultanahmet Square surrounded by perfect green lawns, tall brilliant tulips, and stark white marble bathhouses. I might have seen feats of architecture that have stood even longer than Mimar Sinan’s famous mosque, like the gleaming Hagia Sophia. I might have seen, as we left that bustling tourist area, the murky depths of the Bosphorus when we crossed the Golden Horn. I might have seen how dilapidated and run-down the city became as we left its urban center behind, but also that no matter how run-down the neighborhood, each house had beautiful gardens or plants, and a fruit tree out front. I might have seen the children playing in fountains and their mothers hanging the laundry out to dry in the hot summer sun, while men spilled out onto sidewalks, drinking tea and playing cards wherever the neighbourhood tea shop stood.
As it was, the driver, who spent most of the time on the meridian, careened in and out between vehicles so recklessly that I thought I might not make it to the bus station, and that my final destination in Turkey would be the morgue.
COLLAPSERachel Turney, poet, editor, and host of Turney Talks wrote:“Naked in Turkey is a rare find—layered, luminous, and unforgettable. Months after turning the last page, I marvel at the treasures I’m still unearthing. It carries magic realism into strange and brilliant new territory, exploring the power and pervasiveness of story in shaping our perspectives, our values, our history, ourselves.”
Spellbinding, beautiful, unique! This short book reshapes folklore and takes one on multiple journeys. I am reminded of those choose your own adventure books of my youth in the most delightful way! Chandra’s protagonist is everything I could want in the portrayal of a modern woman. Great book to throw in the carry-on for your next trip!”
