The Dervish House

The Dervish House is a fascinating look at a diverse collection of characters who all live or work around an abandoned dervish house. The story begins with a terrorist bombing of a bus. The event has life-changing consequences for a few of the characters, including a pothead who has a religious awakening and begins to see djinn.

However, for me the most fascinating was a young woman who ran an upscale religious artifact shop, and was illegally hired to find a mythical Turkish relic: a mellified man.

But the main character is the city itself. Istanbul with its complex history and culture—and its possibilities for the future—surrounds the characters and their actions. It brings them together, separates them, and draws them forward by its own mysterious, enticing personality.