Istanbul Dreaming: A Novel

About This Audiobook

In 1950s Turkey, against the backdrop of the social and political unrest that will culminate in Turkey's 1960 military coup d'état, a dutiful daughter is torn between family expectations and her dream of becoming a modern Turkish woman. One night, seventeen-year-old Ayten sneaks away to Istanbul for a night of dancing with her best friend. When her father discovers her rebellion, he forces her into an arranged religious marriage to a distant relative who bullied her as a child. Initially, Ayten resigns herself to her fate—but after her husband sexually assaults her on their wedding night, she flees him and her family for haven in Istanbul. Living with friends and working as a seamstress at her friend's boutique, Ayten tries to rebuild her life. Then she meets Earl, an American airman, and they begin to fall in love—but as their connection deepens, secrets and her past threaten to upend all she's built. Torn between her family and a future with Earl, Ayten must decide what she's willing to sacrifice for freedom and forbidden love.

About the Author

Denise Derya Brandt is a debut author whose writing is inspired by her life and the lives of the people she met while working for more than twenty years in international development, leading life-saving women's health projects in Afghanistan, Liberia, and Myanmar (with shorter stints in other interesting places). She's a graduate of The Book Incubator writing program, was a 2024 finalist for the Women's Fiction Writers Association Rising Star Award and was a 2025 Poets & Writers Get the Word Out publicity incubator fellow. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Arizona State University and a master's degree in development management from The London School of Economics. After graduate school, Denise lived in Istanbul, where she worked as an Associate Publisher for Turkish Business World, an English-language business magazine. As a Turkish American with moderate Turkish language skills, she claims she can fool tourists but not taxi drivers! Originally from Arizona, Denise now lives in Northern Kentucky with her husband.

Author: Denise Derya Brandt

Narrator: Suehyla El-Attar Young

Publisher: She Writes Press

Copyright: 2026 Denise Derya Brandt

Audiobook Release Date: 2026-09-29

Original Book Release Date: 2026-09-29

Running Time: 09:49:08

Track Count: 57

Word Count: 82000

Audiobook ISBN: 9781971980492

Reviews

Brandt's reflective prose brings the sociocultural aspects of the setting to life, thoughtfully exploring the tension between tradition and modernity.... the author expertly uses Ayten's journey toward agency to examine themes of womanhood, trauma, and freedom.

Tender, inspiring, and historically rich...

[Brandt] has lovingly captured the essence of her parents' real-life story while creating a narrative which reflects the story of every woman at points in her life. Ayten can take her place in the literary pantheon of women chafing against societal limits on their autonomy.

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