Alan Drew - Gardens of Water

Review by Corinna Christopher
A lovely book with a good story and background which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The American author has written short stories prior to this. He spent 3 years in Turkey and was there at the time of the 1999 earthquake.
Set in and around Istanbul we are drawn into the family of Sinan, his wife Nilufer, daughter Irem and young son Ismail. A devastating earthquake rips apart their home and fragile stability of life. In the same building lives an American family with the husband working as a teacher and they have a 17 year old son Dylan. In the aftermath of the disaster the American's wife Sarah dies as she shields and looks after Ismail who comes out alive. The American sets up a rescue centre where reluctantly Sinan moves his family into a tent. His daughter becomes infatuated with Dylan but of course their cultures and backgrounds are very different. Sinan a good Muslim struggles with the influence of the Christians running the camp and wishes to protect his family in particular his daughter. Having escaped from the rural part of Turkey he wants nothing more than to return and has to find work in order to raise money. However, there are many setbacks and the clashes between the secular West and his religious traditions are expertly described.
The budding romance of Irem and Dylan come to a head and Sinam's actions spiral into a powerful and heartbreaking conclusion. Although the ending is dramatic one can understand the emotions of the persons concerned.
Having been to Istanbul I found the background of this fascinating city escellently written, the bustling metropolis and the ever present Bosphorous flowing past with Mosques and skyscrapers jostling the horizon.
There are some poignant scenes with Sinan describing Heaven to his young son.
Quote: "Heaven is very green, the brightest green of the most beautiful trees. There are gardens of water with rivers and lakes and tall waterfalls that sparkle like a million cascading diamonds. When you peer into the water, thousands of brightly coloured fish stare back at you. The mountains are tall and covered in snow but its not cold. You can slide down the face of the mountains but the snow is warm as bathwater. The sun always shines but it never hurts your eyes and sky is so blue it looks like its been painted with hundreds of coats of paint".
A delightful book with a good storyline and interesting plot.

Corinna