Istanbul Dreaming
Subtitle
A Novel
In 1950s Turkey, against the backdrop of social and political unrest culminating in Turkey’s 1960 military coup d'état, ISTANBUL DREAMING is a coming-of-age story that explores the courage it takes to break free from tradition, find your voice, and fight for your dreams.
Seventeen-year-old Ayten, a dutiful daughter torn between tradition and her dream of becoming a modern Turkish woman, sneaks away to Istanbul for a night of dancing with her best friend. When her father discovers her rebellion, he forces her into an arranged marriage to a distant relative, who bullied her as a child. Ayten resigns to her fate, but when her husband does the unthinkable on their wedding night, she flees him and her family to seek haven in Istanbul.
Living with friends and working as a seamstress in her friend’s boutique, Ayten tries to rebuild her life. Then she meets Earl, an American airman, and they begin to fall in love—but as their connection deepens, the secrets she’s buried to protect herself threaten to surface and upend all she’s built. Torn between her family and a future with Earl, Ayten must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice for forbidden love and freedom.
Bio
Denise Derya Brandt is a debut author and a proud Sun Devil. Before her mid-life career pivot, she spent more than twenty years in international development and public health, most recently with Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, leading life-saving women’s health projects in Afghanistan, Liberia, and Myanmar (with shorter stints in other interesting places).
Denise earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from ASU and later returned as a Faculty Associate in the Global Technology and Development program (2013–2015), where she taught graduate courses for ASU Online and advised students on their theses and capstone projects. She also holds a master’s degree in development management from the London School of Economics.
A Turkish-American, Denise lived in Istanbul after graduate school, working as an Associate Publisher for Turkish Business World, an English-language business magazine. That experience informed her writing about Istanbul in her debut novel, Istanbul Dreaming. Now writing full time, she draws on her travels and the people she met along the way. She is a graduate of The Book Incubator writing program, a 2024 finalist for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association Rising Star Award, and a 2025 Poets & Writers Get the Word Out publicity incubator fellow.
Originally from Arizona, Denise now lives in Northern Kentucky with her husband.
Praise for this book
“Brandt’s reflective prose brings the sociocultural aspects of the setting to life, thoughtfully exploring the tension between tradition and modernity. . . . the author expertly uses Ayten’s journey toward agency to examine themes of womanhood, trauma, and freedom.
Kirkus Reviews
Brandt’s debut is a captivating exploration of what it means for a woman to dare to imagine a life for herself in the face of family disapproval and complicated ties. Rich with the sights, sounds, and tastes of Turkey, this novel is an ode to self-determination and the pursuit of a life of one’s own.
Marjan Kamali Bestselling author of The Lion Women of Tehran and The Stationery Shop
