Poised between the alluring secular values of socialism and the conservatism of a tenuously balanced government, rocked by student demonstrations which threaten to destroy its centuries-old beauty, Istanbul in 1977 is a fractured, overcrowded city haunted by demons of its own making. The atmosphere simmers, seldom far from boiling point, and violent clashes with soldiers and police are a daily occurrence. Along with thousands of other left-wing activists, Oak's interest in politics leads him to join the annual May Day rallies. There he encounters Zuhal, a fearless girl with a gun. As battles rage between nationalists and socialists, Oak witnesses the violent suppression of dissident minorities by his fellow citizens, and the steady erosion of free expression. Throughout it is the bewitching Zuhal who shapes his ideals and emotions, ultimately bringing him face to face with disillusionment, desolation and death. In Black Sky, Black Sea, Turkish novelist Izzet Celasin explores the political difficulties that took him into exile, without losing sight of his love for his native country. The result is a passionate, compelling and timely novel, and a homage to a city like no other.