{"id":1116,"date":"2021-10-19T14:20:13","date_gmt":"2021-10-19T18:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/minaseckin.com\/?page_id=1116"},"modified":"2022-05-17T15:17:06","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T19:17:06","slug":"the-four-humors-by-mina-seckin","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/minaseckin.com\/the-four-humors-by-mina-seckin\/","title":{"rendered":"The Four Humors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"The<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This wry and visceral debut novel follows a young Turkish-American woman who, rather than grieving her father’s untimely death, seeks treatment for a stubborn headache and grows obsessed with a centuries-old theory of medicine.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
PURCHASE TODAY<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Twenty-year-old Sibel thought she had concrete plans for the summer. She would care for her grandmother in Istanbul, visit her father\u2019s grave, and study for the MCAT. Instead, she finds herself watching Turkish soap operas and self-diagnosing her own possible chronic illness with the four humors theory of ancient medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also on Sibel\u2019s mind: her blond American boyfriend who accompanies her to Turkey; her energetic but distraught younger sister; and her devoted grandmother, who, Sibel comes to learn, carries a harrowing secret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delving into her family\u2019s history, the narrative weaves through periods of political unrest in Turkey, from military coups to the Gezi Park protests. Told with pathos and humor, Sibel\u2019s search for strange and unusual cures is disrupted as she begins to see how she might heal herself through the care of others, including her own family and its long-fractured relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

EARLY PRAISE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMina Se\u00e7kin\u2019s brilliant and understated first novel describes a young person\u2019s quest to situate herself geographically, culturally, historically, and physiologically\u2014to map out a place for her inner self in the world, in her family, and in her own body. Funny, heartrending, illuminating, informative, brimming with cultural specificity and human universality.\u201d \u2014Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Set in a stunning evocation of contemporary Turkey, The Four Humors is spellbinding. With sensitivity and insight, Mina Se\u00e7kin weaves the entanglements of romantic love and the complexities of familial love throughout this exploration of cultural identity. This debut novel is one for our time.” \u2014Binnie Kirshenbaum, author of Rabbits for Food<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Four Humors reminds us that the most startling love letters\u2014to people, to cities, to fading times and places\u2014are as gentle, wry, and intelligent as they are deeply felt. A beautiful, unpretending book.” \u2014Merve Emre, author of The Ferrante Letters<\/i> and The Personality Brokers<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Wise and quirky, searching and warm\u2013\u2013a novel full of heart, alive with the humors.” \u2014Ay\u015feg\u00fcl Sava\u015f, author of Walking on the Ceiling<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was completely transported by this novel\u2014as if I’d been taken along with Se\u00e7kin’s heroine on a darkly beautiful holiday. I loved the fierce, delicate voice of Sibel\u2014a young woman determined to uncover the mysteries of her body, as well as the mysteries of her family. Se\u00e7kin is a gifted and natural storyteller, but she’s also willing to show us the ways we use stories\u2014of politics and history, in social media, in the bedroom, and at parties\u2014to hide and heal. In doing so, The Four Humors offers a captivating and profound portrait of a family unmoored by secrets and love.” \u2014Rebecca Godfrey, author of Under the Bridge<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Mina Se\u00e7kin writes about the human body in a way that is exacting and beautiful, and I am in awe at the way she pins pain onto the page . . . The narrative voice is infused with levity, generosity, and (yes) humor. The Four Humors is a gorgeous excavation of the body\u2014its flaws and its desires\u2014and what it means to heal.” \u2014Katie Yee, Literary Hub<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Soulful and tender, honest, but never cruel. The Four Humors is a debut that doesn’t feel like a debut. With the wisdom of a writer beyond her years, Mina Se\u00e7kin has crafted a novel that delicately and lyrically explores the body and everything it holds\u2014the blood, phlegm, bile, choler, all the bodily fluids and memories and generational trauma, the joy that we keep moving and breathing despite it\u2014everything that make us the flawed, beautiful humans that we are.” \u2014Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Fans of Elif Batuman\u2019s The Idiot should take note of Mina Se\u00e7kin\u2019s debut The Four Humors, another wry and intelligent novel that engages with the Turkish diaspora in America. As twenty-year-old Sibel seeks relief from an unshakable headache, she ends up delving into her family history and dubious medicinal theories, all of which Se\u00e7kin captures with a mordant wisdom that belies her own young age.” \u2014Chicago Review of Books<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Mina Se\u00e7kin\u2019s debut novel chronicles Sibel\u2019s attempts to understand herself, her family, and the stories her body tells about both with tenderness and grace.” \u2014Eve Sneider,\u00a0WIRED<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A funny and loving story for readers of all backgrounds.” \u2014Emily Burack,\u00a0Alma<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Four Humors is a quiet, startling book that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. Sibel holds grief and guilt in her body, and as she reconnects with her homeland, she will uncover deep secrets and profound truths that will change her forever. Mina Se\u00e7kin has written a poignant and penetrating meditation on how we take care\u2014of ourselves, our stories, and our families.” \u2014Crystal Hana Kim, author of If You Leave Me<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“An engaging read that addresses both the Turkish diaspora and what it means to change.” \u2014Wendy J. Fox,\u00a0BuzzFeed<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In spare, funny writing, Se\u00e7kin invites us into a summer spent in Turkey with a young woman named Sibyl and her boyfriend, Cooper . . . If you’ve ever abandoned plans to study for the MCAT in favor of a lot of soul-searching, uncovering family trauma, and TV watching, come meet Sibyl.” \u2014Jenny Singer,\u00a0Glamour<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This wry and visceral debut novel follows a young Turkish-American woman who, rather than grieving her father’s untimely death, seeks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":561,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"The Four Humors - Mina Seckin<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""The Four Humors is a gorgeous excavation of the body\u2014its flaws and its desires\u2014and what it means to heal." \u2014Literary Hub\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/minaseckin.com\/the-four-humors-by-mina-seckin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Four Humors - Mina Seckin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\""The Four Humors is a gorgeous excavation of the body\u2014its flaws and its desires\u2014and what it means to heal." \u2014Literary Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/minaseckin.com\/the-four-humors-by-mina-seckin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mina Seckin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-05-17T19:17:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/minaseckin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/THE-FOUR-HUMORS-3.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"414\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"572\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minaseckin.com\/the-four-humors-by-mina-seckin\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/minaseckin.com\/the-four-humors-by-mina-seckin\/\",\"name\":\"The Four Humors - 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