The Emperor Tea Garden

Turkish author Eray's first English translation in seven years is a strange journey through casinos, the streets of Ankara, and a tea house full of ghosts. The novel opens with an unnamed woman running through the streets. She recounts the story of wandering a graveyard to Gul Abla. Celal Dulger is brought back to life by Irfan, a guard of heaven. The narrator later receives advice from a slot machine that is the vessel for the ghost of Madame Kelebek. The narrator talks to violets who speak in the voice of ex-lovers. They all take tea at the Emperor Tea Garden where the narrator swaps places with the Night. If all of this sounds confusing, it is. Eray (The Man Who Wears Love) is a gifted author; her prose is beautiful, with a richness that allows one to "[live] in different worlds". At the same time, the swirl of worlds delights until she attempts to bring the threads together. The narrator is revealed to be Eray herself and the novel addresses both the reader and writer before walking off into the night. The whole doesn't equal the parts, but the ride is well worth it. (Mar.)