Evil Eyes Sea - by Ozge Samanci (Paperback)

About the Book

A feminist political mystery set in Istanbul during the 1995 elections tells the story of two broke students who witnessed an unusual death on a scuba diving expedition. As the case deepens, they become increasingly entangled with political corruption, religious pressure, and possibly murder.They try to return to their every day, but their lives are increasingly entangled with the political corruption, religious pressure, and economic instability that results from their experience. Samanci says, "The autobiographically-inspired story I tell in Evil Eyes Sea emerged from my college years in Istanbul, my quirky friends, and my struggles with being a young woman in Turkey's male-centric culture. In this book, I share a window into a country where narrow political views limit personal power -- a place that can be beautiful, but also cruel."

Book Synopsis

The Best Graphic Novels of 2024, The Guardian

Best Graphic Novels for Adults 2024, American Library Association

Cartoonist Studio Prize Winner, 2025

A feminist political mystery set in Istanbul during the 1995 elections tells the story of two broke students who witnessed an unusual death on a scuba diving expedition. As the case deepens, they become increasingly entangled with political corruption, religious pressure, and possibly murder.

They try to return to their every day, but their lives are increasingly entangled with the political corruption, religious pressure, and economic instability that results from their experience. Samanci says, "The autobiographically-inspired story I tell in Evil Eyes Sea emerged from my college years in Istanbul, my quirky friends, and my struggles with being a young woman in Turkey's male-centric culture. In this book, I share a window into a country where narrow political views limit personal power -- a place that can be beautiful, but also cruel."

Review Quotes

The Best Graphic Novels of 2024, The Guardian

Best Graphic Novels for Adults 2024, American Library Association

Cartoonist Studio Prize Winner, 2025

"There's less time for contemplation in Özge Samancı's 90s-set Evil Eyes Sea (Uncivilized Books), which sees two Istanbul students investigate the death of a friend who plunged into the Bosphorus in a Cadillac. It's a fine mix of Tintin-style adventure and social commentary, complete with smelly dorm rooms, puffed-up gangsters, and Scuba diving."--The Guardian

"It's a book that's never quite what you expect, and its power as a narrative is not of a sudden explosion, but of a quiet storm."--The Comics Journal

"Try as they might, Ece and Meltem, students in 1990s Istanbul, can't get over the underwater accident they witnessed. Wrangling with the misogyny of college life a-nd the chain of an upcoming election, eventually, they realize that maybe they shouldn't."--The New York Times, Book Review

"In this rambunctious murder mystery set in 1990s Turkey, Samancı (Dare to Disappoint) contrasts a playful and vibrant visual style with deadly serious themes."--Publishers Weekly

"As entertaining as it is exposing, Samanci's sophomore title is an exquisite, multilayered showpiece confronting gender inequity, religious manipulations, political corruption, and the gray zones of morals and ethics--gray zones necessary for survival."--Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

"Evil Eyes Sea is a work that turns its powerful, Medusa-like gaze on womanhood, corruption, and moral responsibility while still being an entertaining, fast-paced read. Taking the plunge into its watery depths is a rewarding experience."--The Third Coast Review

"Scuba meets stone cold corruption in EVIL EYES SEA."--The Beat

"As one might expect from Samanci, it is still really fun and funny, while treating its serious subjects with dignity."--Women Write about Comics

"Despite the heavy themes, there's humor in [Samanci's] drawings and dialogue -- moments of levity in otherwise dismal circumstances." --Northwestern Magazine

"It's a beautiful mix of humor, tragedy, and heart."--Murder and Mayhem

About the Author

Ozge Samanci is a media artist, graphic novelist, and Associate Professor at Northwestern University. She received her Ph.D. in Digital Media from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2009. In 2017, Ozge received the Berlin Prize, and I was the Holtzbrinck Visual Arts Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin. Her autobiographical graphic novel Dare to Disappoint (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2015) received international press attention and was reviewed in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, New Republic, Paste Magazine, and the Daily Beast, among others. Dare to Disappoint received the 2016 New York Book Show Award and the 2016 Middle East Book Award and has been translated into Korean, Dutch, Romanian, Italian, and Turkish. Ozge's illustrations have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Slate, The Huffington Post, and The Rumpus, among other publications.