Wingless Angel

We discussed the book with Ms Aysel, or rather, the “Dartanyanlar” book club organised a meeting with the author, and I joined from a distance to share my thoughts. Ms Aysel's graciousness in receiving criticism, her civility and simplicity left me with a very pleasant impression; for that reason, I can't quite bring myself to write a severe review—truth be told… Yet that does not alter the nature of the novel.

Measured against what it delivers, the book is far too long; with firm editing, its three hundred and seventy-two pages could at least be halved, yielding a handsome love story for teenagers and young adults. Unfortunately, the novel is lengthened considerably by endlessly repeated dialogues, scenes that bear no relation to the subject, and the author's evident difficulty in reaching a settled view.

In the novel, a girl named Melek (though the wingless angel is someone else) all but coerces a boy named Ayxan into keeping up a relationship with her, and then, expecting love from him, suffers the pangs of passion through his coldness. In the meantime, she fails to notice those close by who love her. The same story is told first in Melek's voice and then in that of her close friend Murad—a curious choice; but here the author is inexperienced and does not quite bring it off, so the narrative ends up repeating itself almost as a near-verbatim copy.

The editing is very weak: expressions alien to our language and ill-suited to literary prose become wearying. Overall, I gathered that the author has not yet found her style or fixed her manner. I hope that in her next works Ms Aysel will soothe her readers' souls with pieces of greater value and depth. Good luck to her.