Kathmandu, Dec. 28 -- Dawn is breaking across the city of Istanbul. In one of its alleyways on the outskirts, the unusually named Tequila Leila has been murdered and dumped into a metal rubbish bin. She is fast dying, but her brain refuses to shut down. In the next 10 minutes and 38 seconds, Leila summons her past-through sights and smells and memories of her beloved people. This story, that begins from 'The End', progresses as a flashback, before Leila's soul finally escapes, and readers are jolted back to the gory present. The British-Turkish author Elif Shafak's eleventh novel sets out to dissect life from the afterlife.

The strange-sounding plot turns into a superb device in the hands of Shafak, as she flits back and forth; now and t...