'Vivid, evocative and tender.' Elif Shafak

‘In our family, secrets were buried deep like treasure, never to be spoken of...’

1974. Melike should be happy: school is shut and her parents have stopped hosting parties for their rowdy political friends. But she’s scared. She can tell from her parents’ urgent whispers about prison, invasion and military coups that Istanbul is changing. So when the family relocate to a quaint village in the south, Melike is hopeful life might get better. And for a while, it does. But then her beloved father disappears...

2003. Nearly three decades have passed, and Melike has done her best to move on. But despite her successful career as an art historian and a husband who adores her, she has always felt a lingering discontent. When she meets mysterious – and extremely handsome – stranger Petro, Melike feels her fortunes changing. But Petro isn’t who he says he is. And when Melike uncovers his true identity, she also lays bare a lifetime of hidden pasts...

With a backdrop of the Turkish army’s occupation of Cyprus in 1974, Summer Heat explores family secrets, tangled identities and one woman’s place in her country’s devastating history.

'Vivid, evocative and tender' * Elif Shafak *
'Summer Heat is a gorgeous, sensual novel, immersing you in the heat and spices of Istanbul, the earth and salt of Buyukada, the blood and secrets of war-torn Cyprus. I happily lost myself in it' * Jane Johnson *
A heady mix of horror and romance * Saga *

Praise for Defne Suman:

‘A dazzling narrative’ New York Times

‘Suman’s voice and descriptions are so unique and enveloping’ Buki Papillon

‘Suman gives life a new order with the power of her literature’ Burhan Sönmez

‘Vivid and moving' Woman’s Own

Defne Suman was born in Istanbul and grew up on Buyukada. She gained a Masters in sociology from the Bosphorus University, then worked as a teacher in Thailand and Laos where she studied East Asian philosophy and mystic disciplines. She later continued her studies in Oregon, USA and now lives in Athens with her husband. Her English language debut The Silence of Scheherazade was published by Head of Zeus in 2021. Find out more: defnesuman.com; @defnesuman