The Black Book

With the publication of [*The White Castle*](/works/OL1019597W), [Orhan Pamuk](/authors/OL96984A) earned, according to the New York Times Book Review*, ‘the right to comparisons with [Borges](/authors/OL18928A) and [Calvino](/authors/OL4326372A)’. His second novel to appear in English, *The Black Book*, is his *tour de force*, a stunning tapestry of Middle Eastern and Islamic culture which confirms Pamuk's reputation as a writer of international stature. Galip is an Istanbul lawyer, and his wife (as well as first cousin), Ruya, has vanished. Could she be hiding with her half-brother (who also happens to be Galip’s first cousin), Jelal, a newspaper columnist whose fame Galip envies? And if so, why isn't anyone in Jelal’s flat? As Galip plays the part of private investigator, he assumes the identity of Jelal himself, wearing his clothes, answering his phone calls, even faking his wry columns, which he passes off as the work of the missing journalist. But the amateur sleuth bungles his undercover operation, and with dire consequences. Richly atmospheric and Rabelaisian in scope, *The Black Book is a labyrinthine novel suffused with the sights, sounds and scents of Istanbul. An unforgettable evocation of the city where East meets West. The Black Book is a boldly unconventional mystery that plumbs the elusive nature of identity, fiction, interpretation and reality.