Dervishes

By Beth Helms

The richly textured, panoramic story of an American mother and daughter stuck in the expatriate community of Ankara, Turkey, in 1975--each of them trying to discover a life in the larger world, each in way over her head When she is twelve years old, Canada moves with her mother and father to Ankara, Turkey, where her father has been stationed by the government. It is 1975--the Cold War is in full swing and tensions in the Middle East are escalating. But in Ankara's diplomatic community, the days are lazy and indulgent--one long cocktail party. While her father routinely disappears on official business, Canada and her mother, Grace, find themselves in the company of gossipy embassy wives and wealthy Turkish women, immersed in a routine of card games and afternoons at the baths. By the time summer comes, and the city's electricity shuts down from dawn to dusk, mother and daughter can no longer tolerate the insular society--or each other. Alternating between their perspectives, Dervishes follows Canada and Grace as they set out into the larger city: Grace is drawn to the lover of her wealthy, manipulative Turkish friend; Canada competes with another girl for the attentions of an arrogant Turkish houseboy, one who knows all their mothers' secrets. Before long, both are in over their heads, and their transgressions threaten to strand them between the safe island of westerners and a strange city that guards its secrets fiercely. Written with sensuousness and empathy, Beth Helms's debut is the story of a mother and daughter cut loose from their foundations, hungry for independence but dangerously naive.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312426194
• ISBN13: 9780312426194
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 14 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 9 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Beautiful writing

I really enjoyed reading this novel. The imagery and writing are beautiful and very evocative. It needed a stronger plot, and the mother was a very unlikeable character. However it is definite worth a read just for the amazing descriptions.

Wonderful!

The wife of a government agent (Grace) and her daughter (Canada) take turns telling the story of a year (1975-76) spent in Ankara, Turkey. Mother and daughter struggle with an often absent and alcoholic father and with their position as outsiders in a foreign culture. While attempting to find validation and love outside the home, each finds herself in morally precarious circumstances, which ultimately lead to serious consequences. At one point late in the book, Canada remembers seeing dervishes dance and describes the figures as "isolated, spinning endlessly in place." This is the source of the book's title and is also the perfect metaphor for what Canada and her mother are doing in Turkey. Helms captures her foreign location with evocative accounts of local locations, customs, smells, and even personalities (the archetypal Turkish houseboy, for example). Dervishes also reveals the positive influence of Helms's experience as a short story writer. Like a good short story, Dervishes is precisely written with close attention to detail, leaving the impression that every experience or memory is an important part of the narrative whole. Although the narration is tightly controlled, Dervishes does not shy away from the ambiguity and messiness of human experience. In other words, the story is cleanly told but is far from clean. If any complaint can be made about this book, it's that Canada sometimes speaks with a voice well beyond her supposed 12 years. Highly recommended.

Fine Writing, Wonderful Debut

Helms is a writer with conviction and poise, and Dervishes is a finely crafted work. Gorgeous writing, lovely descriptions, and a fine debut overall. I admire the way the story weaves back and forth between Canada's more removed perspective and Grace's chapters structured in the present tense. The ending is startling and yet fitting with the overall plot. A recommended read.

Beautifully written offer from debut author

Dervishes is a beautifully written novel set against the backdrop of Turkey. The writer does such a great job of describing the scenes without overwhelming the reader. It is about an American family who has been transferred to Turkey by the U.S. Government. The father is an Ambassador, and they move frequently. He sometimes spends months away from his wife and daughter for business-and he is very secretive. Canada is just your average twelve-year-old girl. Well, as average as she can be with moving frequently and learning new languages. She quickly makes a new friend and is soon learning her way around the city and observing her surroundings. Grace struggles to find her place, as well as be a wife and mother. Trying to fit in with the other wives left behind by their traveling husbands, she soon spends her days drinking and socializing. Before long, Grace and Canada seem to be growing apart while they struggle to find their place in this strange world. Disgusted with one another during the hot summer months, Grace and Canada move out beyond the local swimming pools and parties-into the city. But neither is quite prepared to maneuver on her own in Turkey, and they are soon adrift in a civilization they can't possibly grasp. As the plot develops, the cultural differences between East and West begin to alter the storyline. With well-developed characters, a well-crafted plot, and a surprise ending, this story is an enjoyable read. Beth Helms does a superb job with her first debut novel. I will be recommending this beautiful written novel to my friends. Armchair Interview agrees.