Family drama amid political chaos in ‘Red Dress’

If you know your Bosphorus from phosphorus and Gezi Park means something to you, you’ll probably love Elliot Ackerman’s new novel. If the strait that separates the European and Asian parts of Turkey and the 2013 demonstrations against urban development in Istanbul drive you to Google, you might not appreciate the novel as much at first, but don’t be afraid to give it a try.

Let’s start with the characters: First there’s Catherine, an expat married to an influential Turkish real estate developer named Murat. Catherine and Murat have an adopted son, William, whose lineage is one of the book’s slowly revealed mysteries. Catherine has a lover, Peter. Finally, there’s Kristin, an employee at the U.S. consulate who does much more than facilitate naturalization paperwork. She’s not quite CIA, but plays the role of chess master.

The central plot of the novel takes place in Istanbul over the course of a single day in November 2013, as

Catherine decides to leave Murat and return to America with their son. Ackerman uses that day to frame the rest of the novel — flashing back in alternating chapters to fill in the character’s stories and revel their connections to each other.

Turkey is the real star of the book. Ackerman, a former Marine who served five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, loves the setting and his descriptions are some of the best-written lines of the book.

The whole book is taut, balanced between order and chaos, just like Istanbul in that summer of 2013.