Backbone by Meryem Yildiz stretches from the shores of the St. Lawrence River in Montreal to the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, charting a course through the fractured landscapes of identity and selfhood. Through breathy narratives and compact, distilled moments, Yildiz confronts the weight of trauma and the shifting sands of cultural identity, revealing how these forces shape, and reshape, the body and spirit. As she navigates chronic pain, displacement, and the memories that linger, the speaker asks, “Who am I if I don’t recognize myself?” At the heart of this debut is the deeply intimate bond between the speaker and Clara, a steadfast friend whose presence transcends boundaries and anchors the quest for belonging. Backbone is a testament to the transformative power of human connection and the capacity for renewal amidst the struggles of identity and experience.
