Summary
A beautiful and compelling novel that considers the damage which can be inflicted by our simple desire to look at others.
“I didn’t say anything. I didn’t return his smiles. I looked at him in the wide mirror in front of where I was sitting. He grew uncomfortable and avoided my eyes. I hate those who think fat people are stupid.”
An obese woman and her lover, a dwarf, are sick of being stared at wherever they go, and so decide to reverse roles. The man goes out wearing make up…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780241201916 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0241201918 |
| Author: | Elif Shafak |
| Publisher: | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Imprint: | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 272 |
| Release Date: | 24 June 2015 |
| Weight: | 206g |
| Dimensions: | 19mm x 130mm x 198mm |
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Critics Review
Beautifully evoked * The Times *
Original and compelling * TLS *
Plays with ideas of beauty and ugliness like they’re Rubik’s cubes
Entertaining and affecting * Publishers’ Weekly *
Elif Shafak is the best author to come out of Turkey in the last decade
A gorgeous novel: worldly, intriguing, raucous yet elegant, teeming with love and cruelty - and brilliantly alive – A.D. Miller
Shafak’s novel is a carefully crafted work of imagination… [it] will confirm Shafak’s reputation as a writer of impressive range, who is not afraid to ask the big questions * Financial Times *
Shafak paints a gorgeous picture of a city teeming with secrets, intrigue and romance. Lush * The Times *
Vividly evoked, beautifully written… this edifying novel shows how hate and envy destroy, and how love might build the world anew * Observer *
Shafak blends historical fiction, urban politics and youthful curiosity in an elaborate map of Turkey whose key is the book itself * Guardian *
Elif Shafak
Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist whose work has been translated into fifty-seven languages. The author of twenty books, fourteen of which are novels, she is a bestselling author in many countries around the world. Shafak’s previous novel, There Are Rivers in the Sky, was the UK’s bestselling literary hardback novel of 2025, selling over 500,000 copies. Her work has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the RSL Ondaatje Prize, and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, amongst others. She is currently nominated for ‘Author of the Year’ at the British Book Awards. Elif Shafak was appointed President of the Royal Society of Literature in 2025. Her books have sold several million copies worldwide.
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