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Nov 2, 2026
Before He Was Red
Forbidden Love and Political Intrigue in the Last Days of the Ottoman Empire
Summary
Ottoman Empire, 1876. Amid the political turbulence of the summer of three sultans, a Belgian woman and the future Sultan Abdul Hamid II secretly marry. Weeks later he deposes his brother to ascend the throne, and she vanishes without a trace.
With emotional depth and a propulsive plot, BEFORE HE WAS RED (2025, Pebble Press)reimagines this forgotten but pivotal episode of the 19th-century Ottoman Empire. On the eve of a loveless marriage, glove maker Flora Cordier rescues a stranger from Ottoman troops. She is unaware he is Prince Hamid, second in line to the throne, risking death for a single night of freedom. Their meeting sparks a forbidden love and a shared dream of self-determination.
We follow five converging voices: Flora, Hamid, Perestu (the ambitious stepmother), Murad (the volatile brother-turned-rival), and Reshid (a Jewish dervish-tutor hardwired to survive), as their lives intertwine with the political conspiracies and colonial rivalries that drive Hamid’s rise to power.
Atmospheric, rich in political intrigue and subversive love, this sweeping work of historical fiction and epic romance brings a vanished world vividly to life. BEFORE HE WAS RED will captivate readers of Maggie Shipstead’s Great Circle with its high emotional stakes and pursuit of freedom, and enthral fans of James Clavell’s Shōgun with its cinematic scope, court intrigue, and immersive, little-known history. Perfect for book clubs, it offers a powerful story of love, freedom, and belonging in the shadow of empire. Inspired by true events and real characters history has all but forgotten.
This episode is a conversation with Christina Stahle on her process for writing about a little known love story set against a turbulent time in history. After listening, check out a free kit for book clubs on Christina Stahle’s website!
