NPR's Book of the Day – “The Renovation” by Kanan Orhan

Episode Date: February 25, 2026
Host: Andrew Limbong (A)
Guest: Kanan Orhan (D), interviewed by Scott Simon (C)

Episode Overview

This episode centers around Kanan Orhan’s debut novel, The Renovation, a surreal and metaphor-laden reflection on prisons—both political and personal. What begins as a home improvement project for Turkish exiles in Italy spirals into a deeply imaginative exploration of exile, memory, and the emotional confines of caregiving. The interview weaves together literary insight, personal experience, and political context, providing a rich introduction to Orhan’s themes and inspirations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Surrealist Premise of “The Renovation”

• Summary of the Premise
  • Dilara, a Turkish exile in Italy, discovers her renovated bathroom has transformed into a Turkish prison cell—complete with guards. This sets up the novel's central metaphor of being trapped, both physically and emotionally.
• Notable Author Reading (02:08)

  "Massaging jets? Ha ha. No, this is a prison. But what's it doing in my bathroom?"
  (Orhan, reading from the novel at 01:34)

2. Exile and the Burden of Memory

• Family Background and Political Context
  • Dilara, her father (who has Alzheimer's), and her husband are Turkish intellectuals forced to flee their home due to political persecution following government crackdowns in Turkey. The move is one of necessity rather than choice.

    “They decided to flee Turkey after her father was attacked by a political thug.” (Orhan, 02:56)

• Longing for the Past
  • Dilara is depicted as obsessed with the memories and lost days of Istanbul—highlighting the enduring emotional cost of exile.

    "She misses a lot of the memories, a lot of the friends, a lot of the family back home." (Orhan, 03:19)

3. The Prison as Magical Space and Respite

• Transformation of Prison into Comfort
  • Against all logic, Dilara finds comfort and community in the fantastical prison cell, surrounded by Turkish-speaking inmates and enjoying “nuggets of magic” from her memories.
  • The cell becomes a place where nostalgia and longing create their own bittersweet refuge.

    “The cell itself starts to provide these nuggets of magic for her. Whether it’s a delicious cup of coffee from her favorite cafe or sweet rolls of marzipan … she convinces herself it’s worth it being confined to a place.” (Orhan, 03:49–04:47)

4. Portrait of a Father and Political Bravery

• Father’s Character
  • Orhan describes Dilara’s father as a figure of political courage—imperfect but deeply principled in his resistance to authoritarianism.

    “I’m always impressed by the people of Turkey who will risk prison and even worse, to state their opinions against rising authoritarianism, against democratic backsliding.” (Orhan, 04:57)

5. Dementia as Loss—and the Caregiver’s Prison

• Personal Inspiration and Emotional Weight
  • Inspired by Orhan’s own grandmother’s decline into dementia, the novel captures the ripple effects of memory loss on family identity.

    “She started showing some signs of memory loss pretty near to when I started writing this book. … She kind of starts to forget those moments … to the point where I start to question whether or not I’m remembering my relatives correctly.” (Orhan, 05:45–06:53)

• Caregiving as a Prison
  • The narrative draws parallels between political confinement and the emotional confines of full-time caregiving.

    “There are actually two prisons in this book. … But what she couldn’t flee is the prison of care. … Watching them unravel in front of you while also having to take care of them is insanely difficult.” (Orhan, 07:08)

6. Hüzün: Turkish Melancholy and Nostalgia

• Unpacking Hüzün
  • Orhan discusses the Turkish word 'hüzün,' a kind of yearning and cherished melancholy for what is irretrievably lost.

    “It’s a longing for things that are missed and missed in a way that perhaps you can’t surmount, but are worth missing. … We become aware of our own mortality in a way. But it makes those moments… all the sweeter, I think.” (Orhan, 07:51–08:42)

7. Personal Stakes in Writing

• Author’s Own Grief and Fear
  • Orhan notes the process of channeling his own fears and grief about the current state of Turkey into the novel.

    “This was very much my angers at the regime … but also this, this deep fear and sense of loss that kind of no matter what happens now … I’ll never actually be able to go back to the Turkey that I knew.” (Orhan, 08:46–09:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Prison-as-Metaphor:

  “It occupies a space that’s an impossible space. … Not exactly an inviting bathroom.”
  (Orhan, 02:24)

• On Exile’s Unfinished Grief:

  "We're both 10 year strangers from each other now. 12 year strangers. ... It's become a gloomier but still beloved place for me."
  (Orhan, 09:54)

• On Dementia and Memory:

  "She started showing some signs of memory loss ... and she’s kind of misremembering them to the point where I start to question whether or not I’m remembering my relatives correctly."
  (Orhan, 05:45–06:53)

• On Hüzün:

  "It’s a longing for things that are missed and missed in a way that perhaps you can’t surmount, but are worth missing."
  (Orhan, 07:56)

Key Timestamps

• 00:02 – Introduction to the episode/theme
• 01:34 – Orhan reads from the novel; the bathroom-prison scene
• 02:56 – Family background, political exile
• 03:41 – Prison’s surprising comforts; nostalgia for Turkey
• 04:47 – Character of Dilara's father, political courage
• 05:45 – Dementia in the family and its effect on memories
• 07:08 – The double metaphor of prisons (political and caregiving)
• 07:50–08:42 – The meaning and resonance of ‘hüzün’
• 08:46 – Orhan’s personal connection and grief over Turkey’s political situation
• 09:54 – Closing thanks and reflections

Tone and Language

The discussion is thoughtful and intimate, balancing literary exploration with direct references to the author’s family experiences and the broader political climate in Turkey. Orhan's tone is reflective, candid, and tinged with both longing and clear-eyed observation. The conversation moves naturally between the surreal narrative of the novel and the deeply real emotions underlying its themes.

Summary Takeaway

Kanan Orhan’s The Renovation is introduced as a darkly surreal but deeply empathetic meditation on exile, memory, and the invisible prisons—political and personal—that shape our lives. Drawing directly from his family’s history and contemporary Turkish politics, Orhan uses the fantastical transformation of a bathroom into a prison cell to explore the pain of displacement, the ache of lost time, and the bittersweet beauty of nostalgia. The interview richly illuminates the novel’s complexities and the author’s own emotional journey.