Elif Shafak’s new novel revisits the legacy of Gustave Flaubert through a nuanced exploration of his life, work, and the women who shaped his story. The 600-page narrative grapples with the complexities of Flaubert as both a creative visionary and a figure marked by ambivalence toward his female characters, particularly Emma Bovary, whose tragic end has long invited feminist critique.

The novel opens with a portrayal of Flaubert’s anguished process in deciding the fate of Emma Bovary, described as “the only woman he has ever loved with heart, mind and soul.” It quickly shifts to Emma’s perspective, voiced with anger and defiance as she challenges her creator’s denial of her right to grow from her mistakes, questioning whether her predetermined fate stems from her being a woman. Shafak uses these dual perspectives to navigate between viewing Flaubert as a passionate artist deeply invested in his protagonist and as an author whose work is often interpreted as misogynistic.

Rather than attempting a direct dramatisation of Flaubert’s own voice, Shafak employs a chorus of 30 female figures—both real and fictional—whom Flaubert encountered throughout his life. Their testimonies are interspersed with a third-person narrator, providing a multifaceted view of the man behind the literary icon. This technique allows Shafak to revive the richness and disorder of 19th-century life, fleshing out minor characters and moments that illuminate Flaubert’s personal and artistic world.

Shafak’s storytelling strength lies in her ability to inhabit diverse voices, some of which are unconventional and even allegorical, including chapters narrated by personifications of opium and syphilis. While these imaginative episodes may strike some as whimsical or distracting, they echo Flaubert’s own literary philosophy of merging with the world he depicted. The novel also includes a memorable account from Jamilah the camel, exemplifying Shafak’s imaginative reach and narrative inventiveness.

The book deeply engages with Flaubert’s formative experiences, portraying his fraught relationships within his family—his distant mother, the sister whose death left a lasting wound, the niece forced into an unhappy marriage—as well as his attempts to navigate loneliness through intimate connections. These portraits provide insight into the emotional landscapes that influenced his writing.

In an author’s note, Shafak describes the novel as a “love letter to literature,” sharing Flaubert’s belief in the power of storytelling to offer solace amid despair. While the novel emphasizes idealism and imaginative empathy over Flaubert’s often critical and vitriolic voice, it presents a layered, often empathetic portrait of an author whose work continues to provoke debate on gender, creativity, and the human condition.