September 1905. At the heart of the Ottoman Empire in the ancient city of Smyrna Scheherazade
is born to an opium-dazed mother. At the very same moment an Indian spy sails into the
golden-hued sycamore-scented city with a secret mission from the British Empire. When he
leaves 17 years later it will be to the smell of kerosene and smoke as the city and its
people are engulfed in flames. Told through the intertwining fates of a Levantine a Greek a
Turkish and an Armenian family this unforgettable novel reveals a city and a culture now
lost to time. 'Fiercely intelligent finely textured and achingly beautiful' Elif Shafak
'Utterly delightful' Buki Papillon 'This rich tale of love and loss gives voice to the
silenced and adds music to their histories' Maureen Freely Chair English PEN 'A must-read'
Ayse Arman Hürriyet 'A symphony of literature' Açik Radyo 'Defne Suman is a story-teller.
She tells the story of how love emotions and identities are influenced by socio-political
events of a lifetime' Cumhuriyet Newspaper 'A wonderfully braided story of family secrets set
in the magical city of Smyrna told in luminous prose' Lou Ureneck author of Smyrna September
1922
