Falling for a man many years her senior, Esmeralda quickly finds that a passionate, all-consuming love affair can have a huge impact on your sense of identity.  

The Turkish Lover, the third installment of Puerto Rican writer Esmeralda Santiago’s memoirs, is the story of her love affair with Ulvi Dogan, a Turkish man 17 years older than her. Initially he provides an escape from her family home but soon winds up being even more demanding than her mother. The story begins in Brooklyn, passes through Miami, and finishes in Massachusetts, where Santiago graduated magna cum laude from Harvard.

The audiobook, narrated in the author’s own voice, starts and ends with an intimate scene. The journey that began with Santiago’s search for freedom and self-discovery culminates with the protagonist finding her true destiny, even if she did have to take a few wrong turns along the way. Listening to The Turkish Lover is embarking on a heartbreakingly honest journey that explores sexism and racism from a feminist perspective.

Those already familiar with Santiago’s previous works will find much to love here too. The author’s characteristic humor shines through, but so too does the courage and maturity of a woman who knows how hard it can be to carve out independence in an unfamiliar world.