Introduction

'A wonderful read…. An historical novel of the highest quality.'—Iain Pears

Rich in sensuous detail, this first novel brilliantly captures the political and social upheavals of the waning Ottoman Empire. The naked body of a young Englishwoman washes up in Istanbul wearing a pendant inscribed with the seal of the deposed sultan. The death resembles the murder by strangulation of another English governess, a crime that was never solved. Kamil Pasha, a magistrate in the new secular courts, sets out to find the killer, but his dispassionate belief in science and modernity is shaken by betrayal and widening danger. In a lush, mystical voice, a young Muslim woman, Jaanan, recounts her own relationships with one of the dead women and her suspected killer. Were these political murders involving the palace or crimes of personal passion? An absorbing tale that transports the reader to nineteenth-century Turkey, this novel is also a lyrical meditation on the contradictory desires of the human soul. Reading group guide included. Includes the first chapter of the next Kamil Pasha novel.

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Discussion Questions

From the Publisher:

1. What questions raised by characters in the book are still debated today?

2. How do the discussions about the place of women within The Sultan's Seal resonate with today's issues? Is there power within the harem or does being separate from men keep women from being powerful? In what ways do the characters try to exert power for themselves and over others?

3. What are some of the differences between Europe and the Ottoman Empire at the time, as seen from the European point of view, represented by Sybil and Bernie, and from the Ottoman point of view, represented by Kamil? Was there more than one Ottoman point of view about the ideal form of society and political organization? What is the difference between the views of Kamil and Michel? Between Jaanan's father and her uncle, Ismail Hodja?

4. What does being modern mean to Kamil? How does Kamil differ from Jaanan's father, who takes a second wife in order to be modern? Do they fit your definition of modern?

5. What role does religion play in people's lives? Is Jaanan's understanding of Islam the same as that of her mother and her uncle? Does Michel's Judaism play any role in his actions?

6. Kamil wrestles with the seeming incompatibility of faith and reason. Does he find a solution with which he can live? Can faith and reason ever be reconciled?

7. What does Kamil mean when he worries that the introduction of rational thinking, order, logic, and control will bring about the loss of nuance, sensuality, chaos, and emotion? What concrete things is he worried will disappear?

8. What attracts Sybil to Ottoman life and why? Do you think a Western woman could give up her culture and truly become "Eastern"?

9. How does Mary understand her relationship with Jaanan? How does Jaanan understand it? Compare Mary's relationship with Jaanan to Violet's.

10. What roles do love and sex play in Kamil's life? In Jaanan's life? Is there a difference in the effect that love and sex have on their lives? If so, why?

11. How does Hamza's past affect his relationship with Jaanan and her family? Can Hamza be trusted?

12. What role does the family play in the lives of Kamil, Sybil, and Jaanan? Is there a difference between Ottoman and British society in the makeup of the family and in the role of the family in the lives of individuals? What is your ideal family?

13. Kamil has very few friends: only Bernie and Michel. Why is he so closed off from other men?

Weblinks

»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Author Jenny White's web site
»	Publisher's Reading Group Guide
»	Author Call-in Requests

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