‘Three Daughters Of Eve’ is set over an evening in contemporary Istanbul as Peri arrives at the party and steers tensions that simmer in this crossroads country between east and west, religious and secular, rich and poor. Over the course of dinner and the opulence that is surely bizarre, terrorist attacks occur across the city. Competing in Peri's mind however are the memories invoked by her almost-lost polaroid, of the time years earlier when she was sent abroad for the first time to attend Oxford University.
As a young woman there, she had become friends with the attractive, undaunted Shirin, a fully assimilated Iranian girl and Mona, a devout Egyptian- American. Their arguments about Islam and feminism find focus in the charismatic and magnetic yet controversial Professor Azur, who teaches divinity but in an orthodox manner. As the terrorist attacks come ever closer, Peri is moved to recall the scandal that tore them all apart. What had happened? What led one thing to the other? How bad was it that they didn't even try to contact each other in the last sixteen years?
The book is set in two time periods. One in 2000 which includes the protagonist's life at Oxford University and the second in 2016 which shows her post-marriage life in Istanbul.
The novel's smooth read is evident of Shafak's clever writing. The vividness in the narration comes from its well-carved characters. The use of a Polaroid picture of three girls and Professor Azur - the sinner (Shirin), the believer (Mona) and the confused (Peri) - as they called themselves becomes an interesting start to the plot.
The main message is to find God in oneself. It doesn't matter if one is a sinner, a believer or a confused person. What matters is our attachment with our inner peace.
"Roles shifted, words never stayed still. The shape of life was a circle and every point on that circle was at an equal distance from the centre - whether one called that God or something else altogether."
The other themes have touched upon the topic of womanhood where despite the penetration of western influences in Turkey, a woman's virginity and chastity remains a sensitive and delicate topic.
Several such moments of feminism have been artfully brought into the picture making a great ground for the female readers to think and relate. The motivation derived is that how important it is for a woman to search for her individuality amid religious binaries.
While Shafak's language shows no shortage of aplomb, sometimes it drifts into cliches. Shafak challenges her own readers' perspectives of love, relationships, God, faith and the constraints of life, trying to meet society's demands and expectations.
Fans of Shafak's work will find the book resonating with her previous works. Heartfelt theological discussions seem to be continuing debates that began in earlier books such as 'Forty Rules of Love'. Her trademark touches of magical realism are felt in this book too. While continuing to explore spiritual themes, she has very poignantly brought out the struggles faced by us in our daily lives. The book very elegantly captures the constraints as well as the pleasures of feminity.
Readers interested in debates about the nature of God will find the book intriguing. It is a beautifully rendered tale of homeland and faith. This is a truly modern book about the way we are shaped not only by politics, including freedom of expression and political repression but also by our personal relationships. It reveals such a timely confluence of today's issues that it seems almost clairvoyant.
There are novels that you want to cherish in the sanctity of your own adoration and then there are novels you feel impatient to talk about with others. This book will definitely leave you choosing between the two.
Good job!