“Love cannot be explained. It can only be experienced. Love cannot be explained, yet it explains all.”
I was first introduced to Elif Shafak’s writing last year with The Island of Missing Trees. I know, I know, I’m very much a latecomer and I have no excuse for it; all I can offer is that perhaps I wasn’t ready for her words until then. Allow me to explain: For the past few years, I’d been navigating some complex health issues caused by COVID-19, and I felt more lost than ever in a world that seemed so eager to move on from the pandemic that continues to leave many disabled and kill countless others. Coupled with the aggressive push towards pretending everything is okay in the face of wars and genocide and climate disasters, the world has felt off its axis for a long time now. This is nothing new, but it never is. Still, I felt stuck in time. Left behind.
So as I trudged further along on my journey of learning to survive in this “new normal,” I turned to books for comfort. That’s how I came to pick up The Island of Missing Trees on a whim, which turned out to be everything I needed in that moment. A balm amongst the chaos of a society gone off the deep end, it helped renew my faith in humanity, all while raising questions I didn’t know how to answer.
“What I lost, I lost forever. When people looked at me, they didn’t see who I was but what I was missing.”
It wasn’t long before I read There Are Rivers in the Sky, in which Shafak once again showed me that time isn’t linear, history always rears its head, and love transcends all. Most of all, she reminded me that even the smallest acts can shape the future. Those novels worked their way deep into the cracks of my soul and wholly convinced me that Elif Shafak is one of the most brilliant writers of her generation.
This is all a very self-indulgent and roundabout way of saying, when I was offered the chance to review The Forty Rules of Love as part of its fifteenth anniversary reissue, I was eager to immerse myself in her words again, though I would once more be a latecomer to this particular story. All I can say to that is: I’m sorry I’m late, but I’m ready now.
The Forty Rules of Love follows Ella Rubenstein, a married mother of three who lives a settled but unfulfilled life in suburbia. One day, she’s sent a manuscript to evaluate, telling the tale of the thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi and his bond with Shams of Tabriz, a wandering dervish who lives by the forty rules of life and love. Suddenly, everything comes into focus; Ella wants something more. She wants to find love again, leading her to connect with the author of the manuscript and embark on a deeply emotional journey.
“You need to keep walking, though there’s no place to arrive at. The universe is turning, constantly and relentlessly, and so are the earth and the moon, but it is nothing other than a secret embedded within us human beings that makes it all move.”
Told by a rotating set of narrators, The Forty Rules of Love weaves a rich tapestry of the different kinds of love, guided by Shams’ forty rules. Alongside Ella’s story in modern day, we’re seamlessly transported back to thirteenth century Turkey to explore Shams’ journey to becoming the peaceful and wise dervish who enraptured Rumi. We also see through Rumi’s eyes as he learns to become something more than a scholar, as well as through the eyes of his family and the townsfolk of Konya, who each have their own complicated reactions to Shams’ sudden appearance in their lives.
With so many perspectives, it’d be easy to get lost, but Shafak leads us with a steady hand. Her skillful blending of histories, lands, and cultures is captivating, and with The Forty Rules of Love, she paints Rumi’s life in vibrant hues. Rumi’s poems are legendary and much beloved, often emulated and passed through generations, but many of us may not know the profound relationship that shaped his voice. I certainly didn’t, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for Rumi’s poems; Shafak’s meticulous research and framing are as much a lesson in history as they are in humanity. She has a way of capturing the past through a delicate and compassionate lens and bringing it to the present in imaginative ways.
It doesn’t matter how brief a time each character may have to tell their slice of the story; they always manage to pull you into their thrall, even if their words are ones of violence. But the prevailing theme of love is never far from wrapping you up in its warm embrace, making your heart ache with a future you know is coming. Her lyrical yet unflinching prose sweeps you away through time and place to lay bare how human emotions connect us all.
“Languages shape us while we are busy thinking we are in charge of them.”
As one of Shafak’s earlier novels, you can see the DNA of her narrative techniques that will one day trickle down into her later works; the melding of timelines, the stoic seeds of hope, the spiritualism on the quest for something greater than the self. Starting each chapter with the letter “b” in an homage to Sufism is a lovely touch and always grounds you within this story’s connection to its faith. Her explorations of spirituality and the religious practice of Sufism is beautiful and fascinating. And each drop of wisdom is soaked in everything that came before it, connecting intimately in ways that come together before you even realise what’s happening.
Whether you’re a longtime student of Shafak or you’re a newcomer like myself, The Forty Rules of Love is a magnificent tale to visit or revisit; in the fifteen years since it was published, the poignant themes and messaging seem more vital than ever. And it’s safe to say, no matter what stage you’re at in life, you’ll find that one of those rules of love will speak directly to your heart.
Celebrate 15 Years of The Forty Rules of Love
with these stunning reissues:
