The Renovation
Türkiye

The Renovation

by Kenan Orhan

Identity & Belonging Literary Fiction Fiction Magical Realism 2026

Summary

Dilara, a Turkish exile living in a small Italian town, is struggling to care for her father, whose memories are gradually disappearing as dementia takes hold. Preparing to welcome him into her home, she commissions a renovation to make the apartment more comfortable. But when the builders finish, she discovers that her new bathroom has been transformed into a Turkish prison cell, complete with guards and prisoners.

What initially seems like an absurd mistake soon becomes a mysterious connection to the homeland Dilara left behind. Through the cell, she encounters echoes of Istanbul, her family’s painful past, and the political violence that forced them into exile. As her domestic life begins to unravel, the prison becomes an unexpected gateway to memories she can neither fully recover nor escape.

Blending surrealism, dark humour, and political allegory, The Renovation explores exile, belonging, family, and the ways political oppression and personal grief can imprison us long after we have crossed borders.

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About the author
Kenan Orhan
Kenan Orhan

Kenan Orhan is a Turkish American writer based in Kansas. His fiction explores questions of identity, political oppression, cultural memory, and belonging, often blending surrealism with sharp social and political commentary. His debut short-story collection, I Am My Country and Other Stories, was published in 2023 and received recognition as a finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize and a longlisted title for The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in prominent literary publications, including The Atlantic, The Paris Review, McSweeney’s Quarterly, The Common, and The Massachusetts Review. His work has also been anthologised in The O. Henry Prize Stories and The Best American Short Stories. Orhan’s debut novel, The Renovation (2026), combines magical realism, family drama, and political allegory to examine the enduring consequences of exile and the struggle to preserve one’s connection to a homeland. The novel was longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize.

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Details
Published
2026
Author
Kenan Orhan