Beyond the Galata Bridge - Esther Heboyan

"I can see many, many journeys. Chance encounters, some very good, some very bad. Stay away from the bad ones. I can see long journeys into far off countries. You shall become a nurse or a princess or a heroic mother. It's all the same anyway. But I have to teach you how to make anousch abour first. And also corek. And also borek. By the way, I'm going to have another one of those. They're delicious. Do you fancy one?" Hilda walked to the window and pressed her brow against the cold glass. "Grandma, why is the world so dark?" "The world is the world," answered the grand-mother. "Sometimes a good, safe place. Sometimes, not so good and not so safe." Beyond the Galata Bridge is a book of short stories which depicts the life of Armenians in 1950s Istanbul and in late 20th century Europe. The first section, "In the Country of Ashes and Cookies," focuses on Little Hilda as she witnesses the burdens, frailties as well as expectations of relatives and strangers. In the second section, "The Book of Imaginary Bridges," Hilda's adult self dissolves into a background voice to narrate another cycle of comedy and despair, this time anchored in European circumstances."