10 Minutes & 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak

I personally love Elif Shafak's writing style. Her book The Architect's Apprentice is my most prized possession. So when I picked up this book, I was full of anticipation of immersing myself once again in Elif Shafak's words. And I am not disappointed. The book is a wonderful story about Leila, an extraordinary life lived and remembered in the last 10 minutes and 38 seconds before her life ends. The canvas of the book extends from Leila's childhood and navigates between her various lives' stages with numerous companions. Yet, at the end, her 10 minutes and 38 seconds are when she lives her last moments on earth, alone, remembering all that has formed her, defined her since her birth. The book is an absolute delight as a reader travels in the by lanes of Istanbul, with Leila as an innocent child to her transformation into Tequila Leila, a prostitute.