What is it about good fiction?

What is it about a good book? For me I am so drawn into the story, the times and the lives of the characters that I often feel a keen sense of loss, even ordering on feeling bereft, when the book is over. Often it is a real shock to be brought back to your surroundings and find them so far removed from where you are mentally. I was transported for two days from the gloomy winter in the suburbs of the Northwest to the chaotic, colorful and electrifying city that spans two continents. The book was The Bastard of Istanbul. The author weaves a gripping tale that spans decades, two continents and two seemingly unrelated families. The story is set mostly in the city of Istanbul. Like the city itself with its multitude of cultures and cuisine, the book has stories within the story- each one a surprise sometimes delicious, some not so savory, but all contributing beautifully to create this complex dish of sophisticated flavors whose taste lingers long after the dish is consumed. The book centers to a large extent on the effect of the Armenian genocide and I remember the author actually got into legal trouble for her writing. But it certainly was thought provoking - something one does not always expect in fiction- not necessarily about the premise but about life itself. I was impressed by how quickly the story moved, even though one never felt rushed by the story telling and the reader was always given a lot of detail about the daily life and the city. Like the city in which it is set, the book is complex, layered, utterly beautiful and unforgettable.