Ev Arkadaşım 3: Kalp Aritmisi

The book is the third volume of the series and requires knowing the events of the earlier volumes. In the opening scene the doctor Fatih looks at his wife Asya's face and feels helpless: Asya behaves as though she had not lived through what happened, bakes pastries, prepares sweets to take to the clinic. The doctor Mehmet Hoca explains to Fatih that Asya has developed post-traumatic «alexithymia», that is emotional blindness: the patient has difficulty recognising and expressing her feelings. For now medication is not needed, psychotherapy will be applied. Fatih bites his lower lip until he tastes blood.

Meanwhile Leyla sits alone at home watching «P.S. I Love You», eating crisps and crying: she has not seen Merih for five days. What happened between them is not fully opened in this part, but on the night Merih meant to propose something broke, and he has not explained to Leyla what happened. Merih comes to the flat with a small suitcase, Leyla tries to act coolly: «Shall I help?» she says, but her heart tightens.

Leyla tells Merih that the company boss Adil Bey has put her on compulsory leave because of recent events. Merih rages at his colleague named Altan: «Shouldn't that fool have been put on compulsory leave?» Leyla does not understand what he means. Merih leaves the flat to go to a hotel and in a phone call with his friend Semih says that on that night he was going to tell Leyla he wanted to join his life with hers.

On the road two black cars follow him. Beside the forest the cars cut off the road, several heavily built men drag Merih into the forest and beat him savagely. One of them says «Altan Bey sends his greetings. This is how a threat is served». Merih gets to his feet half fainting, vomits, and cannot find his phone in the car: the attackers have smashed it too.

At the roadside a woman of about 25–26, the journalist Görkem, finds him and wants to take him to hospital. Merih refuses and gives the number of his friend Onur. Until Onur comes Görkem stays with him, saying «occupational disease» and joking that he looks like a «bloody heap of meat». Onur arrives, takes Merih to the clinic and stitches his wound. Merih tells Onur he will not go to the police: he cannot prove Altan did this.

• The story is split among many couples; chapters change viewpoint between Asya, Fatih, Leyla, Merih, Selin, Devran and Zehra, which widens the world but may be hard for readers new to the series
• The banter among friends and the humour (Onur–Zeynep, Merih–Leyla, Selin's harsh but warm character) are the liveliest part of the book
• The descriptions of pregnancy, ultrasound, premature birth and newborn intensive care are simple and clear; medical explanations are given in footnotes
• The crying, sudden emotion and «pregnancy hormone» scenes are repeated many times; the book runs to 527 pages and some parts are stretched
• After about page 430 the genre shifts sharply: romantic comedy and domestic scenes turn into a kidnapping, torture and murder thriller, and the tone suddenly darkens
• In the epilogue the life ten years later is told through Emir's diary; the author's closing words say a short goodbye to the couples