The Dervish

Book excerpt: (Book). The first Arab Spring: revolution and passion seethe and erupt in this action-packed romance during the dying days of the Ottoman Empire. Kazan's novel takes us intimately behind the veil, to see and experience the Ottoman world, to let us view, from the "other" side, how the cultural and political antagonisms between the Occident and the Orient of the past century look. There are no easy villains or heroes in this story. Only ardent, unforgettable characters. An American war widow seeks emotional asylum with her sister at the American Consulate in Constantinople during the Allied occupation in 1919. Through a crossstitched pattern of synchronicity Kazan's heroine becomes a vital thread in the fate of Mustafa Kemal (later Ataturk) and his battle for his country's freedom. Based on firsthand accounts of the Turkish nationalist resistance, The Dervish details the extraordinary events that culminated in 1923 with the creation of the Republic of Turkey. The Dervish is the dramatic culmination of Kazan's acclaimed novel Halide's Gift , the story of two sisters bound by an extraordinary friendship, and torn apart by their love of radically different men. Translated into seven languages, the novel, according to Publishers Weekly , uncovers "an Islamic world on the brink of change that is carefully detailed and convincing." The Washington Post called Kazan's work "Engrossing..." and Booklist wrote, "Kazan has written a politically intriguing and uniquely stylized novel with a subject matter that is refreshingly untrodden. A master of Turkish studies, she conveys this story with the mystique of billowing incense." The Dervish will set readers' heads whirling with its powerful story of political and social power plays. Suspense grows a la Le Carre, as do the parallels to the latest news flashes from our own times of Mideast turmoil.