Holiday Country

A Novel

By: İnci Atrek

Narrated by: Ayse Babahan

A seductive and lyrical debut following a young woman’s dangerous summer romance during an idyllic vacation on the Aegean coast

"A gorgeous exploration."—Raven Leilani, author of Luster

"A book full of pleasures."—Kirkus

Ada adores spending every summer in a Turkish seaside town with her mother and grandmother at the family villa. The glittering waters, endless olive groves, and her spirited friends make it easy to leave her idle life in California behind. But no matter how much Ada feels she belongs to the country where her mother grew up, deep down, her connection to the culture feels as fleeting as the seasons.

When Levent, a mysterious man from her mother’s past, shows up in their town, Ada can’t help but imagine a different future for her mother—one that promises a return to home, to love, to happiness. But while playing matchmaker, Ada has to come to terms with her own intensifying attraction to Levent. Does the future she’s fighting for belong to her mother—or to her alone?

Lush and evocative, İnci Atrek’s Holiday Country is a rapturous meditation about what it means to experience being of two worlds, the limitations and freedom of a life in translation, and the intricacies of a love triangle that stretches across generations and continents.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

©2024 İnci Atrek (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Atrek gloriously portrays the seaside setting, and she expertly explores the crackling tension between mother and daughter. This finely rendered debut heralds the arrival of a smart, bold voice."—Publishers Weekly

“İnci Atrek's mesmerizing Holiday Country is sizzling with the heat and hurt of young adulthood, brimming over with all of the associated desires: to explore, to feel seen, to belong, and, of course, the impossible wish to turn back the hands of time. With beautiful prose that transports you to the seaside town along the Aegean Sea where young Ada spends her summers, Atrek fully entangles you into the generation-long drama overdue to unravel. This book is full of wisdom and insights about mothers, daughters, and the men who surround them and it smolders as we watch Ada do the unavoidable: become her own person.”—Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming

"A piercing and wise novel, Holiday Country asks vital questions on identity, autonomy, fantasy, and how we may radically reimagine daughterhood and the places we come from. İnci Atrek masterfully threads a needle right through the eye of desire and duty with this spectacular book; you will be equal parts unmoored and moved long after you finish reading."—Mina Seçkin, author of The Four Humors

meditative coming-of-age tale

“Holiday Country” by Inci Arek is a meditative story set in Ayvalik Turkey, on the Aegean seacoast.

Every summer since the age of 4, Ada, our narrator, is commanded to visit her grandmother with her mother to this tiny town. It’s one of those towns that not much happens, and all the villagers know everything about you, and your generational line, who your people are. Ada holds fond memories of learning to swim and becoming a competitive swimmer as a result.

Ada’s maternal grandmother, Mukadder, dictates Ada and her mother, Meltem, to visit her when Ada is not in school where they live, in San Francisco. Mukadder is displeased that Meltem married an American man and moved to the USA, abandoning her. This year is different for Ada in that she found out her father has been unfaithful to her mother, leaving her mother unmoored. Additionally, Ada is now 19, at an age when she’s contemplating her own life choices.

Ada unexpectantly meets a man who Meltem had a romantic past, Ada dreams of a life her mother could have had. Ada wants her mother happy, yet her grandmother makes that difficult. Ada gets herself in a mess, trying to orchestrate a romance for her mother.

The reason to read this book is the quiet prose. Some of my favorites:

Exploration destroys a woman! There is no reason to discover!
It is important in life to allow. Your life should move slow like water. You shouldn’t fight against fate.
Wherever you are, and you will be in many places, you must learn to move fluidly.
Rebellion is a different form of obedience.
To really understand one’s secrets you have to watch them tell it.
I don’t like nice. Nice can destroy you. My father was nice.

Ada contemplates her Turkish heritage, how she’ll keep her roots once she is no longer controlled by her grandmother. It’s a young adult coming of age. Ada sees her mother, grandmother, and herself differently after the summer.

I enjoyed this because I have not read much fiction by female Turkish authors and I enjoyed the observations, especially with Ada contemplating ways of maintaining her roots, while allowing growth in the USA.

I listened to the audio, narrated expertly by Ayse Babahan.
Audio length: 9 hrs. 17 minutes

Meh

Narrator mispronounced basic word and had such a deadpan read for the main character that it detracts from the story. Also unlikable protagonist

Great book.

This book is calm, vivid and informative. It helps the reader experience nuances that belong to a different culture. It is amazing to experience the dynamics between generations of family members as well as neighbors and friends. Atrek gives just enough detail to visualize the beautiful environment without drowning the reader in dragging commentary. I enjoyed the narrator a lot as well, Ayse Babahan is clearly bilingual and flawlessly can switch between accents as well as languages. If you enjoy the writings of Elif Batuman, you will definitely enjoy Inci Atrek's Holiday Country. Looking forward to Atrek's upcoming work. I am definitely a fan.

beautiful narration

The book is beautiful. Very nostalgic and relatable if you also are a Turkish immigrant in the US and spend your summers in Tukey.
The narration was amazing. I loved that the narrator is turkish and speaks english with no accent but when it comes to act the turkish characters she starts this subtle accent.