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Binnaz/Auntie Binnaz
Suzan is Haroun’s first wife, a caring but world-weary and hardened woman. After many years of trying to have children with no success, Haroun and Suzan agree that Haroun should take a second wife. By the time Binnaz gives birth to Leila, Suzan is in her early 40s. Because she was unable to carry her own children, Haroun makes the decision to give Leila to Suzan, explaining to a furious Binnaz that she can always have more babies. Suzan is overjoyed at this news and eagerly takes Leila from Binnaz’s arms. Though she lies by raising Leila to believe that she is her biological mother, Suzan is generally a good parent, and she allows Binnaz to spend a great deal of time with her daughter.
Suzan Quotes in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
The 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World quotes below are all either spoken by Suzan or refer to Suzan . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1, Chapter 2: Two Minutes Quotes
Leila had come to understand that feelings of tenderness must always be hidden—that such things could only be revealed behind closed doors and never spoken about afterwards. This was the only form of affection she had learned from grown-ups, and the teaching would come with dire consequences.
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Part 1, Chapter 9: Seven Minutes Quotes
“My shiekh says Allah will curse you and I will live to see the day. That will be my compensation.”
There were drops of condensation on the window. She touched one gently with her fingertip, held it for a second, and then let go, watching it roll down. A pain throbbed somewhere inside her body, in a place she was unable to locate.
“Don’t phone us again,” he said. “If you do, we’ll tell the operator we are not accepting the call. We don’t have a daughter called Leyla. Leyla Afife Kamile: you don’t deserve those names.”
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Suzan Character Timeline in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
The timeline below shows where the character Suzan appears in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Chapter 1: One Minute
...name when she married Leila’s father, Haroun, in a religious ceremony. When Haroun’s first wife, Suzan, is unable to carry children, he marries 16-year-old Binnaz, who suffers six miscarriages in three...
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With Leila’s birth, both Binnaz and Suzan understand that Binnaz is now Haroun’s “top” wife. Though Haroun is elated to see his...
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...was so anxious that she fainted before they consummated their marriage. Convinced that Haroun and Suzan conspired to “steal” Leila upon her birth, Binnaz angrily continues confronting her husband. He insists...
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Part 1, Chapter 2: Two Minutes
...at six years old, she lives in a large, pristine home in Van, Turkey with her mother , Auntie Binnaz, and her father. She dreams of one day becoming a professional belly...
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...and idolize glamorous starlets—especially Rita Hayworth, whom they consider the most beautiful of all. Unlike Leila’s mother , neither Leila nor her Auntie can read, a fact that strengthens their bond—until Leila...
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...time on the roof, then reveals a long-kept secret: she is Leila’s real mother, not Suzan. In disbelief, Leila tries to dismiss her mentally unstable aunt’s confession, though deep down, she...
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Part 1, Chapter 5: Four Minutes
...she falls ill, suffering from a high fever and vivid, haunting hallucinations of Uncle. After her mother and Binnaz exhaust all their homemade remedies and superstitions with no improvement, Haroun reluctantly calls...
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Part 1, Chapter 9: Seven Minutes
...her, Binnaz realizes that Leila is pregnant. Only days later, during a family meeting with Suzan, Binnaz, and Baba, Leila admits that she has miscarried. Her family members’ visible relief and...
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Leila calls her family from Istanbul, relieved to hear the voices of her mother and Auntie on the other end of the line, though she understands their relationships will...
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