Leila Badalbeili is a fifteen-year-old classical pianist, a
child prodigy and the darling of Soviet society in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan,
in 1979.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, a country bounded by the Caspian Sea and the
Caucasus Mountains, is at this time in the grip of Soviet communism. Its
culture is a fusion of Turkish, Persian and Russian influences.
An only child, Leila is the beloved daughter of her papa, Halil,
an oil baron enjoying a privileged lifestyle even under communism thanks to the
legacy of his father, a great communist hero who sacrificed his life to the
cause. Her mother, Sonia, a stunning woman and a renowned paediatric surgeon,
is elusive and distant with Leila.
Wrapped in a cottonwool world of political brainwashing,
public adulation, family privilege and paternal adoration, Leila is unaware of
the political machinations of the regime, or of the betrayals occurring around
her. Then her eyes begin to open, in unexpected ways, when she is required to
spy on a young man whom the Communist Party suspect of selling ‘decadent’
Western music in his recently opened shop. Delighted at being given such
responsibility within the Party, she zealously sets out to entrap the suspect.
Aladdin
Inexplicably drawn to the young man, an artist, whom she
privately nicknames Aladdin – at their first meeting he is sitting cross-legged
upon an Afghani rug enveloped in a cloud of hashish smoke – she finds herself
tussling with her long-held beliefs. Tahir, his real name, and Leila form an
immediate connection, instinctively understanding and communicating with each
other as fellow artists.
On the outside, they are worlds apart, she a privileged member
of the social order because of her family connections, he an outcast regarded
with hatred and suspicion because of his.
Leila develops a double, even triple life. In her political
life, Leila is confused and repulsed by the increasingly sexual advances of her
superior, Farhad, who takes advantage of his position and her innocence. He
aspires to be part of the dreaded Soviet intelligence agency, the KGB, and to
claim her as his wife when she is of age. In her family life, she sees a
different side to her father when she attempts to defy him over Farhad’s
successful petition for her hand in marriage. The times she spends with Tahir
are the only occasions she really feels herself.
Collision of Worlds in The Orphan Sky
When, inevitably, all three worlds collide, Leila is forced to
choose between them and to make an awful decision with far-reaching
repercussions.
Against a backdrop of poetry and music, art and ideals,
politics, propaganda and corruption, The Orphan Sky spans almost four
decades. Leila experiences public and personal falls from grace, tragedies and
betrayals, impossible decisions: will she be able to reconcile her very
different worlds and finally find meaning in her life – even love?
The author cleverly and subtly foreshadows significant events in The Orphan Sky so that the reader only becomes aware of these later.
A beautiful, lyrical, heart-in-your-mouth read.
The Orphan Sky, Ella Leyla, 2015, Sourcebooks Landmark, Illinois.
About the Author of The Orphan Sky
Ella Leya is a composer and singer. She was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, and moved to the United States in 1990.
The Author-Editor’s Books
$24.95 Only $20 up to and including 25 December 2019 (+postage, or pickup Gold Coast). Click here to purchase
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