Akin – Book Review

~ This article contains spoilers! ~

This book is one that which you must definitely have in your personal library for it imprints itself into your heart. The reason is very simple: it’s astonishing! The story flows easily and follows young Aydan who, on the reason that he had a nightmare, is doomed by the narrow-minded people of his village. Over the years, Aydan had witnessed a lot of people slowly giving up on living after being thrown in the pit and losing their minds and souls to that awful darkness.

Despite trying his best, Aydan cannot comprehend why he was seen as dangerous and thrown in the cave prison. His soul was tired of hoping that he would get any help after his father refuses to come to his assistance. Refused by the only family he has got, Aydan is sick and tired of his soul being suppressed and manages to escape, alongside with another imprisoned man, who becomes his brother. This is how he begins his journey to freedom and to discover a totally different side of the world and of himself. A side which gets stronger only when the difficulties he encounters are overcome.

The change of his name marks the new unknown path his life is rerouted to. This is how another “Ayden”, i.e., Akin, is born. His journey is not an easy one and we are witnesses to his struggles and we suffer alongside Akin every step of the way.

The story is built up on strong intense images supported by smells and sounds and thus, it comes to no surprise that it marks not only our minds, but our souls.

Akin’s journey continues in the most natural way and we are silent observers to the joy, contemplations and horrors Akin is taken part of, events which solidify his character over the years. He becomes an example of uprightness and honesty worth following. 

Despite the fact that towards the end of the book we get a hidden anxiety that we will unfairly lose Akin, our hope is kept alive with every page we turn as his will to live is deep enough to keep him going, in spite all odds. Akin’s strength comes out to light when the author perfectly describes how he fights and clings on life even when he himself doesn’t think it’s possible.

The second part of his journey takes us back to the village where Akin was unrightfully judged by flimsy reasons years and years back. As expected, he doesn’t find the community he left behind; he only finds sand and dust covering what was once the thriving village he knew like the palm of his hand and which he called “home”. The return to the village is only a stop (final one) on the healing journey of the soul which Akin had undertaken after he escaped the cave prison. He is now at peace with how things have turned out and continues his trekking to the ocean, where he strongly believes he will finally find the harmony he souls seeks. And there, for the second time, his name changes as well as his life. Subtle details which make this book even more interesting…

The ending is absolutely perfect and it brings a smile to our lips and a relief sigh to our souls: a man who deserved more in life than the tribulations he was forced to go through, finally gets his peace. There are no words to how well this book was written and how it presents us raw human emotions – absolutely beautiful! AKIN is a book I will never forget and always recommend.