The debut novel by Ayshe Dengtash.
Published on November 10, 2020.
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When Eternity wakes up fully submerged in a freezing river, wearing a large coat with pebbles stuffed into her pockets—she has no recollection of who she is or how she ended up here.
As she emerges from the river, Eternity notices an old lady standing over her, who offers to take her home. Eternity’s strange journey begins as she agrees to follow the woman, who guides her through rural landscapes to a gigantic house on the edge of a quiet neighborhood, where twelve identical red shoes are neatly aligned beside the front door. It is here Eternity discovers she is part of a cult known as The Grieving Mothers of the Departed Children.
Eternity tries to find out the answers to who she is, who she was, and how she ended up here, meeting many peculiar women who are a part of the cult along the way. The women are all mothers who have lost young children, who are grieving together as they try to reconnect with their departed offspring through the spiritual realm. More questions arrive as Eternity realizes she played a crucial role in the cult’s operation, as everyone refers to her as the mysterious “Holy One.”
It’s not long before Eternity uncovers disturbing secrets, as she struggles to recover her lost memories, all the while wondering what could have driven her to become a part of such an odd organization, since the others tell her she hasn’t lost a child herself.
A fully original narrative that will keep you guessing, The Grieving Mothers of the Departed Children is a novel that is Twin Peak-like in its eeriness, as odd characters pop on nearly every page that fluctuate between the realistic and the bizarre. By focusing on its diverse female cast of characters who are trying to find their way through grief, the novel reveals the complexities of motherhood, while also shedding light on how women can scheme against one another to gain the upper hand.
About the Author
Ayshe Dengtash was born to immigrant parents from North Cyprus. She spent the formative years of her childhood on a council estate in South East London, in the United Kingdom, and her teenage years in North Cyprus. She is a graduate of the University of Birmingham where she completed a PhD in Creative Writing. She currently lives in Hong Kong with her partner and her two cats where she teaches English Literature and Creative Writing. Writing is her greatest passion, everything else is just a chore.