Snow in Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

May 14, 2018 Cynthia Paschen rated it liked it

Shelves: the-list

Ka drove me nuts. When he gets the urge to write a poem, he stops everything and writes, noting that others are watching him write. When he shares a poem with the object of his affections, he asks her six times if the poem is beautiful.

Ipek, the object of Ka's affections, is beautiful. This is enough for Ka, but it was not enough for me. I wanted to know more of Ipek, and of the suicide girls.

I read this because at my friend Janet's funeral, her book group books were laid out, each stuffed with ...more

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Apr 21, 2008 Duc rated it really liked it

If the contents of the book didn't happen in the real world, this book could be read as a work of Science Fiction or even extreme fiction. Unfortunately, the ideas and practices of what is written happen in the real world. Even though, this part of the world is so remote from my reality, that it seems almost like a science fiction: such issue as whether or not to wear a head scarf, face cover in public or school. Cables are strung and hooked up ad hock through out the neighbor hood just to catch ...more

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Sep 17, 2008 Meera rated it it was amazing

I read this en route to Istanbul, and it gave me a really interesting perspective on Turkish modern history. This is the story of Ka, a Turkish poet living in Germany, who visits the far-eastern city of Kars, in order to investigate suicides by young women who are being forced to remove the veil in public colleges and schools, as per the the country's secularism-gone-awry policies. The plot is extremely complex and political, the characters occasionally unbelievable (but maybe that is because of ...more

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Dec 30, 2007 pam rated it liked it

Excellent from a sociological point of view: you learn a lot about the various factions in Turkey, pro-nationalist, pro-Kurd, anti-Kurd, moderate, etc. It is also interesting to read about the changing attitudes towards headscarves over the last century. However, the tale about the theater is too long and tiring. In terms of literature, this book certainly does not rate a Nobel prize.

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