Book description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2019
'Expect vibrant, vivid and eye-opening descriptions of Middle Eastern life propelled by a tender storyline, all in Shafak's haunting, beautiful and considered prose' Vanity Fair
'Incredibly sensuous and poetic and evocative' Pandora Sykes
'Richly uplifting... truly beautiful writing' Nicola Sturgeon
'In the first minute…
Why read it?
1 author picked 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
The protagonist of this beautifully written, heart-rending book is the wonderfully-named Tequila Leila, a sex worker from Istanbul who, as the book begins, is dying in a rubbish bin on the outskirts of the city.
As her brain begins to shut down, Leila goes back in time to trace her story, while her friends, who she remembers in those ‘in-between’ moments between life and death, desperately look for her.
Leila, for me, is ebullient, larger than life, and intensely lovable. Despite being brutalised and living much of her life in danger, her humanity shines through. Leila has heart and soul…
From Susanna's list on featuring a feisty female.
If you love 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World...
Forward
A novel about becoming, healing and courage, which spans over 40 years, interweaving complex characters from different worlds, all gravitating around a common timeless axis: the desire for happiness.
Lia, a tenacious woman who has been working successfully on her own for many years, starts a new project, one that…
Want books like 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.
Browse books like 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,395
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, you might also like...
Sufferance
This is a novel about choices. How would you have chosen to act during the Second World War if your country had been invaded and occupied by a brutal enemy determined to isolate and murder a whole community?
That’s the situation facing an ordinary family man with two children, a…
Rahila's Secrets
Rahila’s Secrets is a historical novel exploring the ripples of war, trauma, and identity.
Set during the rise of ISIS in 2014 Iraq, the story follows Zara Mahmoud, a Muslim woman who discovers a diary revealing her family's hidden Jewish heritage. Forced to flee Kurdistan, she leaves everything behind to…
