Boston Book Festival Presentation: Djinns

Fatma Aydemir and Jon Cho-Polizzi in Conversation

Aydemir’s award-winning novel is a fast-paced character-driven family saga set in Germany and Türkiye at the end of the 20th century. In the novel the Turkish-born protagonist Hüseyin has spent the past 30 years working in Germany and his dream of buying his very own flat in Istanbul has finally come true. But he dies of a heart attack the day he moves in. His family in Germany travel to Türkiye for the funeral. In chapters narrated from the perspectives of the individual family members we learn about each character’s personal djinns (supernatural spirits from Arabic mythology).

The complexity of migration family relationships and life choices is at the center of Djinns. The book invites readers to develop empathy for all the characters.

Fatma Aydemir will also be present for the screening of ELBOW based on her first novel at the Coolidge Corner Theatre on Sunday October 27.

Host or Publisher Goethe-Institut Boston