Black Sky, Black Sea

Title: Black Sky, Black Sea
Author: Izzet Celasin
Score: 3/10

I was aimlessly wandering down the aisles of a Waterstones when I saw this book in the translated books section and after a quick inspection I was intrigued. It seemed to have something to do with the student protests in Turkey in the 70s and 80s (a subject the European world seems to be sadly ignorant of) and I hoped against all hope that it would feature the Black Sea region, fascinating for both it's natural beauty and the complex cultural history of its inhabitants.

I was incredibly disappointed. Not because there seemed to be no interest on the writer's part to give a cultural overview of the various minorities and regions in Turkey but because it didn't even give a thorough understanding of the political situation which forms the background to this story. Someone completely ignorant of the historical aspects of the setting can read this book and believe that the 'leftist' students were divided in two: the Maoists and the Soviet supporters. This is not only a pathetic simplification of the various groups that had formed throughout the decade but it is also disrespectful to the thousands imprisoned, tortured and executed (mostly under false charges) for having left-wing ideals.

The main character, Baris (meaning peace in Turkish) is annoyingly ignorant of the events around him and seems to not have an opinion at all. You might believe this is the writer's way of trying to be objective but this is also not the case. Not a single 'fascist' character features in the book either. Pimps and prostitutes do, but a single member of a right-wing group does not. The main and only connection to the politics of the time Baris has is through a girl he falls in love with. Zuhal, despite being a member of an armed guerrilla group, also doesn't seem to know what she believes in or what she is fighting against shattering the only political standing the book would have had.

The black sea region exists only as a backdrop to a poor re-enactment of one of the bloodiest massacres of the time, known as the Kizildere operation.

I realise that you might think the book will have adequate insight into a section of Turkey's history due to it winning some awards for best political novel but you would be wrong. I find it incredibly sad that due to the lack of books translated into English on this topic, books such as this can be given 'best political novel' awards. There are some very in depth novels and non-fiction books written on the topic in Turkish and the lack of English translations is absolutely appalling.

This brings me to my main point: if you want to read a book about a romantic teenager's relationship with various girlfriends, go for it. This book is probably what you're looking for. If instead you would like to gain some historical knowledge, skip it.