?When it comes to lyrical prose and airtight plots, you can always count on British-Turkish award-winning author Elif Shafak to deliver. In her 2011 novel, Honour, Shafak presents a 300-page work of fiction that tackles domestic abuse, male violence, and an honour killing that changed an entire family’s trajectory.

It’s a grim story, and Shafak lets you know from the get-go. The novel’s dedication makes it clear that this isn’t a light story, nor is it one that will come with a happy ending. Shafak prefaces the novel with a real-life anecdote briefly describing acts of marital violence she witnessed from a young age, writing: “In the evenings, we listened to the shouts, the cries, the swearing. In the morning, we went on with our lives as usual.” The dedication not only sets the tone for the chapters to come, but reveals a grim truth that remains hidden behind closed doors — even when the doors are made of glass.

The novel kicks off with Esmaa — a Turkish-Kurdish woman now residing in London — as she prepares to pick up her brother Iskender from prison, where he spent the past 14 years for murder — an honour killing, in particular. The victim? That remains unclear, yet the reader is soon given ample clues.

From this point onward, the novel covers several separate timelines across different locations. We’re let in on Pembe and Adem’s — the siblings’ parents — journey as immigrants in London and the consequences of the culture clashes experienced by their family — particularly Iskender. Running alongside the main narrative is another focused on Jamila, Pembe’s twin sister, who never left her small village near the Euphrates River. As the story progresses, Shafak offers a stark contrast between both cultures — where they intersect, and where they veer apart.

The breaking point. Honour does an incredible job at portraying the complexities of its characters; there are no good or evil labels planted atop each proverbial head, but rather a nuanced explanation of their motivations. The novel expertly tackles the struggles of immigrants, the far-reaching impact of archaic traditions long-passed down, and the fight for women’s freedom. Shafak does so in impeccable detail, with prose that evokes both pain and beauty. Honour may not be one of Shafak’s most popular titles, but it's certainly one of her most profound.

WHERE TO GET IT- You can find the paperback version at Diwan, or get the e-book from Amazon.

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