Red Dress In Black & White

RED DRESS IN BLACK & WHITE

by Eliot Ackerman

 

Nomination: Carnegie Longlist 2021

 

Date Read: December 16, 2022

 

Catherine seems to have everything an expat living in Turkey could want. Her husband Murat affords her wealth and influence and she has a beautiful adopted son, William. But with her marriage crumbling, she realizes how much the government can interfere in her plans to return to the U.S. with her son and photographer lover, Peter.

 

In retaliation, Murat seeks the help of an American diplomat to stop his wife from leaving but simultaneously compromises himself in exchange for this favor. Murat and Kristin are quickly embroiled in an affair and Kristin is in a position to help Murat, through a credit guarantee, quickly right his sinking financial ship. Although his family has benefited from great wealth in the past, Murat is currently broke. Kristin’s guarantees allow him to get back in the game in an important way. Before long, Murat is bringing Kristin information that helps her with other schemes she’s involved in.

 

William, meanwhile, is tugged between both parents, including their lovers. I felt bad for the boy who just wanted a regular childhood and a puppy of his own having to endure these self-indulgent adults. And in the background of all this personal drama is the civil unrest and protests unfolding in Turkey, which Peter and Deniz become ensnared in.

 

While Ackerman is in fine form with his prose, this saga unfolded rather slowly for my tastes and some of the scenes seemed irrelevant to the larger story. He clearly is finely versed in the middle east and the corruption occurring there but the personal drama involved here was intense as a slow burn.

 

I still will praise Ackerman’s work overall but I think this one will quickly dim in my memory.

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