The Elephant In The Room

Content Warnings: The source text depicts spousal death and animal abuse and neglect.

When 12-year-old Sila Tekin returns from school one day, she is surprised to see her parents at home. They explain that her mom, Oya, must return to Turkey after living in the United States for 15 years to fix some immigration paperwork. It is already a tough time for the family because Oya just lost her housekeeping job, which she had for 14 years. Oya says she will return in eight days, but eight months later, there is still no word of when she will be allowed to come back. Sila misses her mom during this time. She finds it hard to enjoy things she used to, and she does not feel like spending time with her friends.

After Sila's mom leaves, Sila starts feeling unhappy and annoyed by things she used to like. One Saturday, Sila's dad, Alp, who is a mechanic, gets a call to work on a car far from their home in Eugene, Oregon. He makes Sila come along. They arrive at a house with a massive rock wall around it. Sila finds the wall interesting but worries about leaving home in case her mom calls.