Small Round Stones (Book)

Small Round Stones, written by Melisa Kesmez and published by İletişim Yayınları, belongs to contemporary Turkish literature and consists of 84 pages. The book’s ISBN is 9789750533594, with İletişim Publication No 3195 and is the 566th volume in the Turkish Literature series. The first edition was published in August 2022, and according to the provided information, the sixth edition was released in June 2025. The editorial work was undertaken by Kıvanç Koçak. The cover design is by Suat Aysu, and the illustration on the cover is by Seda Mit. Proofreading was carried out by Merve Öztürk.

Subject

Small Round Stones is composed of three sections titled “Nergis’s Story” (mother), “Elif’s Story” (daughter), and “Mehmet’s Story” (father). The book narrates how each member of a nuclear family, after the dissolution of a marriage, experiences this separation through their own perspective and distinct emotional stages.

In each story, the family members are at the center of a crisis marked by a profound psychological crisis. As the characters descend into deep despair triggered by feelings of loss and abandonment, they bring to light traumatic experiences from their past with their own parents—intergenerational trauma.

Theme

The work centers on the fragility of the family institution in modern life and its psychological impact on the individual. Major themes include:

Loss, Regret, and New Beginnings: Themes such as relationships that begin and end, abandonment, motherhood, and unhappiness are explored, with emphasis on the struggle to hold on to life and the possibility of starting anew after unresolved grievances and regrets.

Intergenerational Interaction and Motherhood: The impact of traumatic experiences inherited from parents—such as abandonment and emotional neglect—on the characters’ life cycles is highlighted.

Psychological Disintegration and the Cycle of Healing: Throughout the narrative, the characters’ profound sorrow and helplessness are portrayed as severe depressive episodes.

Hope and Bonds of Love: Despite all ruptures, the novel demonstrates how love, friendship, and the potential for a new bond with the next generation serve as sources of hope that heal individuals and empower them to continue living.

Characters

Nergis is portrayed as a woman struggling to adapt to her roles as wife and mother, who falls in love with someone else. Her divorce and the relocation of her daughter Elif to her father’s side plunge her into isolation and a process of reckoning, propelling her on an inner journey.

Mehmet is a father figure abandoned by his wife and who experienced abandonment by his own father during childhood. As he confronts the void created by the breakdown of family ties, he undergoes a process of adjusting to solitude.

Elif grapples with the absence of her mother, flawed choices in her own relationships, and the process of distancing herself from her father. Her severe crisis culminates in the news of pregnancy, marking the threshold of a new life.

The work examines the processes through which the characters navigate their psychological breakdowns and find a path toward healing. The narrative reveals parallels between the stages of personal recovery each individual undergoes as they emerge from their inner turmoil and the positive transformation of the story’s characters. The novel’s conclusion takes shape with the emergence of a potential bond of love with the next generation—the grandchild—as a symbol of escape from crisis and hope for healing.

About the Author

Melisa Kesmez, born in Istanbul in September 1980, is a writer, journalist, and translator. She completed her education at the Sociology Department of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Throughout her writing career, she has published cultural and artistic articles and interviews in print media and has worked as a translator and dramaturg in theater projects. She is recognized for her contributions to literature. Her work Bazen Bahar received an honorable mention at the 2017 Notre Dame de Sion Literature Award, while Nohut Oda was awarded the 65th Sait Faik Short Story Prize.