10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

Content Warning: This section discusses childhood sexual assault and rape, mistreatment of sex workers, murder, transphobia, domestic violence, and human trafficking.

Leila, who receives the nickname “Tequila Leila” while she works as a sex worker, is the protagonist of the novel and retells what she remembers in the 10 minutes and 38 seconds that her brain continues to live after her murder. Leila, born as Leyla Afife Kamile Akarsu in Van, Turkey, had a complicated relationship with her family; Leila grew up navigating an increasingly conservative household, and she was a victim of childhood sexual assault and rape from age six onward; this experience altered the way Leila conceptualized and understood family and the purpose of secrets. After the death of her brother, Leila left her home in Van to go to Istanbul, where she’d always dreamed of living. On her way there, Leila was human trafficked and sexually exploited. In Istanbul, she was a sex worker until she married her husband, D/Ali. After D/Ali’s death, Leila returned to her job at the brothel and was murdered by two men who were strongly opposed to sex work.

Leila’s