Overview

The Museum of Innocence - set in Istanbul between 1975 and today - tells the story of Kemal, the son of one of Istanbul's richest families, and of his obsessive love for a poor and distant relation, the beautiful Fusun, who is a shop-girl in a small boutique. The novel depicts a panoramic view of life in Istanbul as it chronicles this long, obsessive, love affair between Kemal and Fusun; and Pamuk beautifully captures the identity crisis experienced by Istanbul's upper classes who find themselves caught between traditional and westernised ways of being.

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Reviews

Vanessa writes: Set in Istanbul between 1975 and the present day, this is the story of a rich young man's obsession with a poor shopgirl. Kemal, the narrator of the story is the son of one of Istanbul's richest families. While engaged to a suitable and respectable woman, he begins an obsessive love affair with Fusun, a beautiful but poor, distant relative. This painful relationship, while doomed from the start lasts 30 years in its various stages. Throughout the novel, Kemal draws the reader's attention to a number of objects, from the mundane to the precious, that collecting for a museum dedicated to his lover. While this is a rather laborious read, Pamuk’s evocative descriptions of the minutest details of life in Istanbul compelled me to keep reading. At times I found myself frustrated with Kemal's obsessive behaviour, at other times I was mesmerised by his ability to see beauty in what we might perceive as ordinary. This is not for everyone, but if you have a little time and patience, it's well worth it.

Author Information

Orhan Pamuk, is the author of many celebrated books, including The White Castle, Istanbul and Snow. In 2003 he won the International IMPAC Award for My Name is Red, and in 2006 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. His most recent novel, The Museum of Innocence, was an international bestseller, praised in the Guardian as 'an enthralling, immensely enjoyable piece of storytelling.' Orhan Pamuk lives in Istanbul.

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