The Renovation

About this book

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2026 Guardian Top 10 Debuts of 2026 'A highly inventive debut novel about exile, fear and the ways political trauma follows people across borders' The Times The Renovation is a heart-breaking portrait of one family caught in the tides of history, grappling with grief, exile, politics and the painful absurdity of love Dilara’s father is disappearing. He has dementia and the disease steals a little more of him each day. Dilara has persuaded him to move in with her, hiring builders to adapt her apartment in preparation, but when the renovation is complete she discovers a big problem. Instead of a new bathroom, the builders have installed a Turkish prison cell. At first she is outraged. There has surely been some mistake. Dilara’s family are exiles – they left Turkey many years ago and have never been back. The last thing she wants is a piece of her estranged homeland appearing uninvited in her new home. But as the weeks pass, her indignation gives way to cu