IStanbul
Suggested Bookclub Questions

1.  The life of Ali Muhammed, central in Flashbacks, features in IStanbul. How would you sum up Ali?

2.  The key characters of Kaylah Kone and Adam Taylor are further developed here. What are the strengths and weaknesses                 of these two?

3.  Turkey lies in the borderland of east and west, Europe and Asia. How important is the author’s choice of setting? Do the                   novel’s themes cross national boundaries?

4.  Clive Kone is given a chance. What do you think of his story and that of his associates?

5.  The institutions of the state, namely the police and security services, are given prominence in the story. What is your                         assessment of their role?

6.  Harry McNamara appears on the scene. What do you make of his part in events and his character?

7.  One of the themes is that of ‘grooming. ’Was Ali groomed by Salim? Was Lena groomed? Others? What makes someone               either susceptible or resilient to grooming?

8.  Do cultures, faiths and beliefs have positive and/or negative effects on people?

9.  What does the reader take away with them?

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