Not Constantinople

In his debut novel, Bredie follows two American expatriates adrift in Turkey, teaching writing to privileged students. Fred and Virginia return to their Istanbul apartment one day to discover a Greek family has moved in. Their efforts to evict the interlopers run afoul of robust squatters’ rights, a complicated property history, and a corrupt bureaucracy. Instead, they uneasily share the apartment by keeping opposite hours. With an eye on quickly earning enough for a house back in America, Fred hatches a plan to employ the Greek father to plagiarize papers his own students would rather overpay for than write. Bredie loses the focus on this scheme, preferring long descriptions of neighborhoods and life as a foreigner in Istanbul. The thin plot and Virginia’s sudden departure for the States (and disappearance from the novel) undercut any lasting investment in the characters. As a love letter to Istanbul and an opportunity to show off his insider knowledge of the city, Bredie’s work excels. However, his characters remain oddly detached and aimless in the face of rapid gentrification and political upheaval, preferring to complain about expensive alcohol and tourists overrunning the city. (June)