Hakan Günday is one of the most significant representatives of the young generation of writers in Turkey. Born in Rhodes in 1976, he completed his university studies in Brussels and Ankara. His first novel was published in 2000. He lives in Istanbul.

In the year of its publication in Turkey, 2013, the book was chosen as the novel of the year, and in 2015 it won one of the most prestigious French literary awards, the Médicis étranger. It has been translated into many languages.

A still shocking and upsetting story about refugees, migrants and the son of a people smuggler - the novel illustrates their fate with terrible images and gut-wrenching details, avoiding all subtleties.
A shocking and upsetting story about refugees who, leaving everything behind, often starting with only one backpack, are forced to leave their war-torn country just to survive, and about migrants who set off in the hope of a better life or fleeing their own crimes. They are on their way to Western Europe, and during their journey full of suffering, they experience the ruthlessness and cruelty of human traffickers.
A shocking and disturbing story about the son of a human trafficker. At the age of nine, Gazâ already works alongside his father, guarding and looking after the groups to be transported, while also trying to solve the mystery of his mother's mysterious disappearance. He soon experiences various forms of violence, and later he creates horrible situations himself - once he goes through hell, he leads everyone else there too... A dark tale about the transformation of a promising, talented boy into a real monster and how he finds his way back to himself.

The film based on the novel was presented at the 2017 Karlovy Vary Film Festival.