Never before published in English, Orhan Pamuk’s second novel is the story of a Turkish family gathering in the shadow of the impending military coup of 1980. In an old mansion in Cennethisar, a former fishing village near Istanbul, a widow, Fatma, awaits the annual summer visit of her grandchildren. She has lived in the village for decades, ever since her husband, an idealistic young doctor, ran afoul of the sultan’s grand vizier and arrived to serve the poor fishermen. Now mostly bedridden, she is attended by her constant servant Recep, a dwarf—and the doctor’s illegitimate son. Despite mutual dependency, there is no love lost between mistress and servant, who have very different recollections—and grievances—from the early years, before Cennethisar grew into a high-class resort surrounding the family house, now in shambles. Though eagerly anticipated, Fatma’s grandchildren bring little consolation. The eldest, Faruk, a dissipated historian, wallows in alcohol as he laments his inability to tell the story of the past from the kaleidoscopic pieces he finds in the local archive; his sensitive leftist sister, Nilgün, has yet to discover the real-life consequences of highminded politics; and Metin, a high school nerd, tries to keep up with the lifestyle of his spoiled society schoolmates while he fantasizes about going to America—an unaffordable dream unless he can persuade his grandmother to tear down her house. But it is Recep’s nephew Hasan, a high school dropout, lately fallen in with right-wing nationalists, who will draw the visiting family into the growing political cataclysm issuing from Turkey’s tumultuous century-long struggle for modernity. By turns deeply moving, hilarious, and terrifying, Silent House pulses with the special energy of a great writer’s early work even as it offers beguiling evidence of the mature genius for which Orhan Pamuk would later be celebrated the world over.
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"Firstly, I can easily say that it is one of the best books of Orhan Pamuk. I really liked it maybe because I am a melancholic person or Orhan Pamuk does really know how to describe the mood I am in."
— Burak (4 out of 5 stars)
“So very pleasurable.”
— New York Times Book Review“Propulsive…The author’s most accessible novel to date…The work of a great engineer.”
— Washington Post“Luminous and stylistically inventive…Energetic and exuberant.”
— San Francisco Chronicle“Impressive…It proves once and for all that Pamuk is truly one of the world’s most versatile fiction writers, no matter the language in which he is read.”
— New York Observer" I couldn't finish this book. I was a little bored and there didn't seem to be a point to the story. If someone has read this and it has a phenomenal ending...let me know and I will try to finish. "
— Amy, 2/2/2014" I know this is an early novel and so understand why I enjoyed Red and Snow much more.... "
— David, 1/19/2014" This novel is written in five different first person voices over 32 chapters. The narrative being linear and picking up with a new set of eyes where the last narrator left off. For a full review visit my blog at messybooker.blogspot.com "
— Tonymess, 1/2/2014" Not for me. I hate books with long stream-of-consciousness ramblings, that go on page after page with not even paragraphs to break them up. I couldn't get past the third chapter. "
— Carolyn, 12/13/2013" Interesting. Each character has a distinct voice; each with its own argument & demand, hopes & inner conflict. Together, it is Turkey. "
— Alia, 12/5/2013" sadly story until I have reading "
— Elena, 11/21/2013" sadly story untill now reading "
— Elena, 11/14/2013" Won on first reads in September....never recieved unfortunately :( "
— Shawna, 11/13/2013" Not an easy read.... "
— Lenora, 11/1/2013" I have liked all Pamuk Orhan's newer books. This one is one of his earlier ones that has just recently been translated into English. About halfway through the book, I quit, because I did not care about any of the characters and I didn't care what happened to them. "
— John, 10/7/2013" As usual, I think I would enjoy this author more if I understood more about Turkish history and politics. Still, I always feel like I learn something and his prose is beautiful. "
— Sara, 9/2/2013" I read the Arabic version and it was very good. The story is very charming and it is really worthy to read. "
— Ali, 8/14/2013" Not one of his best books, I'm afraid.. "
— Rohana, 12/3/2012Orhan Pamuk is a prominent literary author who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006. His novel My Name Is Red won the 2003 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and his numerous novels have been translated into more than sixty languages. He lives in Instanbul.
Jonathan Cowley, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a British actor hailing from Eastbourne, East Sussex, but he currently calls Los Angeles home. He has narrated many audiobooks and can also be heard on both sides of the Atlantic narrating film trailers and documentaries. He is also an active television and film actor who has appeared in Grey’s Anatomy, Veep, and WestWorld.
John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays. He is an accomplished stage actor and has written and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit. He played Alydon in the 1963–64 Doctor Who serial The Daleks.
Juliet Mills is a highly acclaimed actress. She won an Emmy Award for QB VII and a Tony nomination for her role in Five Finger Exercise, and was one of the stars of the daytime drama show Passions.
Steve West, the winner of multiple Earphones Awards for narration, is an international actor who has starred on London’s prestigious West End stage, including productions of Mamma Mia! and Oh, What a Night! He is widely known for his television and film work in both the United States and the UK, and he has performed for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. He hosts his own television show for the UK live from Los Angeles.