Katharina Winkler; trans. Laura Wagner
Blue Jewellery by Katharina Winkler, translated from the German by Laura Wagner, is based on the true story of a young Turkish woman.
At the ripe old age of 13, Filiz, a young Turkish woman, marries Yunus, the love of her young life. She moves in with her husband and his mother. The horror begins. Filiz is a victim of atrocious domestic violence. The blue jewellery of the title, described in colorful, graphic detail, refers to the bruises all over her tender body. Yunus beats her up with such ferocity and frequency that Filiz not only comes to expect it, she calculates how many beatings she anticipates receiving for each supposed transgression.
What makes her situation all the more horrifying is the complicit behavior of her mother-in-law in the abuse. She denies Filiz food and begrudges her the little she does eat even while she is pregnant with each of her three children. Filiz is treated like an indentured servant. She does all the housework and all the cooking even while pregnant. Her work is punctuated with regular beatings. Yunus extends his control over his family by beating his own children.
The family finally settles in Austria. The beatings continue until Filiz tries to take her own life in desperation. The neighbors call the police when Yunus inflicts a particularly brutal beating. After recovering in the hospital for three months, Filiz moves into a shelter with her three children. She divorces Yunus who is forbidden by the courts to have any contact with her or their children. This opens the path for her and her children to obtain an education and become contributing members of society in their chosen careers. Meanwhile, Yunus returns to Turkey after getting into trouble with the Austrian authorities. He re-marries and has three children. One is left wondering what feast of horrors he is serving up for his new wife and children.
The narrative unfolds in the first-person voice of Filiz. There is a rhythm and lyricism to the manner in which she strings words together. It is almost poetic, setting up the contrast with the horrifying subject matter. Her diction is simple, almost child-like. And she describes the events in the present tense, as if to suggest she continues to re-live them.
This is a quick and important read. But it’s not an easy one because of the extensive incidents of domestic violence and psychological abuse, all of which are described in such graphic detail.
Recommended, but not for everyone because of its subject matter.