Ela

Mary Delaney & Alexandra Lüthen
Ela
Book design: Claudia Eder

Ages 15+

Fatih and Ela are “people with an intellectual disability”. At the car repair workshop where he works, people call Fatih by different names. He’s known as “our invalid” when his colleagues try unsuccessfully to be politically correct; or “our joey” when they think no one can hear them. Ela is labelled in a slightly nicer way: she’s the “special kid”, her parents’ sheltered darling. While Fatih leads a life of his own choosing, Ela lives like a rare bird encaged in her rich parents’ house. But then Ela decides to pursue a career that gives her some freedom and a lot of satisfaction – working as an illustrator for a newspaper.

Ela and Fatih meet on the way to their respective jobs one morning and soon become a couple. However, since no one expected them ever to fall in love, people are suspicious, mock them and try to torpedo their relationship, so their only option is to run away. They head for the Bosporus coast, nearly 1,400 miles away.

Alexandra Lüthen and Mary Delaney have dreamt up a sensitive coming-of-age novel about having the strength to face up to challenges and the courage to resist labelling by other people. If you’ve forgotten how wonderful a journey to the seaside is, this book will remind you. Lüthen tells the story in “plain language” and manages to create an inclusive space.

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