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ORHAN PAMUK'S WAR OF THE SEXES

“The Museum of Innocence” is Orhan Pamuk’s first novel since he won the Nobel prize in 2006. It takes him back to familiar turf, a Turkey torn between East and West; this time, however, politics are merely a backdrop to the war of the sexes. It’s the summer of 1975, and two members of Istanbul’s jeunesse dorée are about to celebrate their engagement: 30-year-old Kemal, son of one of the city’s wealthiest businessmen, has found a universally approved match in the beautiful, kind-hearted Sibel. But when he meets Füsul, a voluptuous young shop assistant, Kemal experiences a coup de foudre, and the two embark on an intense affair which will shape the rest of his life.

Pamuk’s descriptions of obsessive love will be recognisable the world over, though Kemal goes further than most, hoarding objects associated with Füsul and arranging them in the home-made museum of the title. What sets the novel apart is its rich evocation of Istanbul life, and its intriguing exploration of an almost modern society partly attracted by permissiveness and partly repelled by it. Pamuk also contrives a brilliant balancing act, keeping the nature of Kemal’s love continually in question: is it noble or sinister? Is he open-eyed, or has he been duped?  We are kept guessing until the final sentence. (See The Economist's review here.)

"The Museum of Innocence" (Faber) by Orphan Pamuk will be released in Britain in January

~ ANTHONY GARDNER