Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin

Last Train to Istanbul: A Novel by Ayşe Kulin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The author takes one to Turkey during the tumultuous days of World War II. Turkey was doing its level best to stay out of conflict while it was being constantly pushed by Russia, the British and the Germans. The book sees this through the eyes of two sisters. The elder one is married to a diplomat working with the Turkish Government. The second one has married a Jew antagonizing her father and is living in Paris.

As the German's occupy France and start picking on Jews in France, the Turkish Government arranges for the Turkish Jews to be transported out of France. To this it arranges for its own compartment and arranges for it to be transported to Istanbul through Germany.

The books covers the vicissitudes in the lives of the two sisters and it ends with the journey that the younger one undertakes with her Jewish husband other Jews, some of Turkish origin, and some not back to Turkey. It ends with her meeting her estranged father.

A nice read. Gives a high level perspective into the Turkish society.

All in all a goodread.

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