The Gaze - Softcover

Elif Shafak

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0714531219 ISBN 13: 9780714531212

Publisher: Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd, 2006

Synopsis

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 and the woman draws a moustache on her face. But whilst the woman wants to hide away from the world, the man meets the stares from passers-by head on, compiling his 'Dictionary of Gazes' to explore the boundaries between appearance and reality.
The narrative of The Gaze is intertwined with the dwarf's dictionary entries and the story of a bizarre freak-show organized in Istanbul in the 1880s as the author considers the damage which can be inflicted by our simple desire to look at other people.

About this title

Review

Beautifully evoked (The Times)

Original and compelling (TLS)

Plays with ideas of beauty and ugliness like they're Rubik's cubes (Helen Oyeyemi)

Entertaining and affecting (Publishers’ Weekly)

Elif Shafak is the best author to come out of Turkey in the last decade (Orhan Pamuk)

Beautifully evoked (The Times The Times)

Original and compelling (TLS TLS)

Plays with ideas of beauty and ugliness like they're Rubik's cubes (Helen Oyeyemi Helen Oyeyemi)

Entertaining and affecting (Publishers’ Weekly Publishers’ Weekly)

Elif Shafak is the best author to come out of Turkey in the last decade (Orhan Pamuk Orhan Pamuk)

Synopsis

This is a new title from the author of "The Flea Palace", shortlisted for the Independent Prize for Foreign Fiction and chosen for Waterstone's 2005 Summer Reading promotion. In her prize wining novel, "The Gaze", Shafak explores the subject of body image and desirability. An overweight woman and her lover, a dwarf, are sick of being stared at wherever they go, and decide to reverse roles. The man goes out wearing make up, and the woman draws a moustache on her face. The couple deal with the gaze of passers by in different ways. The woman wants to hide away from the world, while the man meets them head on, even compiling his own 'Dictionary of the Gaze' to show the powerful effects a simple look can have. The narrative of "The Gaze" is intertwined with the dwarf's dictionary entries and the story of a bizarre freak-show organized in Istanbul in the 1880s as Shafak explores the damage which can be done by our simple desire to look at other people.

Edition details

• Publisher: Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0714531219
• ISBN 13: 9780714531212
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 264