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The Museum of Innocence

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The Museum of Innocence

By: Orhan Pamuk, Maureen Freely
Narrated by: John Lee
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The Museum of Innocence - set in Istanbul between 1975 and today - tells the story of Kemal, the son of one of Istanbul's richest families, and of his obsessive love for a poor and distant relation, the beautiful Fusun, who is a shop-girl in a small boutique. In his romantic pursuit of Füsun over the next eight years, Kemal compulsively amasses a collection of objects that chronicles his lovelorn progress-a museum that is both a map of a society and of his heart.
The novel depicts a panoramic view of life in Istanbul as it chronicles this long, obsessive love affair; and Pamuk beautifully captures the identity crisis experienced by Istanbul's upper classes that find themselves caught between traditional and westernised ways of being. Orhan Pamuk's first novel since winning the Nobel Prize is a stirring love story and exploration of the nature of romance.
Pamuk built The Museum of Innocence in the house in which his hero's fictional family lived, to display Kemal's strange collection of objects associated with Fusun and their relationship. The house opened to the public in 2012 in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul.
'Pamuk has created a work concerning romantic love worthy to stand in the company of Lolita, Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina.' --Financial Times

©2013 Orhan Pamuk (P)2013 Faber & Faber Fiction Genre Fiction Metaphysical & Visionary Heartfelt
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A book after my own heart. The language was perfect! Fusan was the object of Kemals obsessive love yet its was poignant, immersive, highly captivating. Nothing like I hv read before.

Just simply elegant!

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Except the links to the specifics of Turkish society in the 70s and 80s, nothing really piqued my interest. Long, boring, neither plausible, nor fantastic story, written with a limited vocabulary. Kept on listening in case the genius of a Nobel literature laureate would surface but it never did :-(

Pretty boring story of some sort of mental illness

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I really have mixed feelings about this book. First, the positives - really interesting insight into Turkish culture and Istanbul during the period of time. Love museums and love this concept of creating a museum to curate a relationship, and the fact that the museum exists makes me want to see it. Loved the writer’s appearance and involvement within the story. Loved the writing style when waxing lyrical about Turkish culture. Really enjoyed My Name is Red and had high hopes for this. The negative - I could not get out of my head that this was a creepy relationship where an older man with money and power preyed on a younger, vulnerable and poorer relative - pursuing her, grooming her and then not accepting her rejection of him in circumstances that are wholly unpleasant and socially unacceptable for her - he impacted on the entire trajectory of her life. Then when she wants to act in films he conspires with her husband to block her opportunities and impair her dreams yet again. I kept thinking of Lolita over and over throughout this book. It’s predatory and he is a thoroughly unpleasant narrator. What makes it worse is that even her family conspires to thwart her dreams and buys into this rich older relative’s plans for her. I felt quite angry about the lack of autonomy available to her. And the attitude towards affairs is just awful, with a father telling a son proudly about ruining some beautiful woman’s life. So misogynistic and unpleasant.

I have very mixed feelings about this book

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This is an unusual love story set against a vivid portrayal of Istanbul society and Turkish culture. It’s a depiction of obsessions: of love and yearning, of collecting (actually hoarding) keepsakes related to the beloved, of clinging doggedly to memories and hopes and dreams, no matter what.
The hero refuses to give up hope, and the story of his struggle is colourful, sad and heartbreaking. His love is relentless and encompasses every part of his life, seemingly to the point of delusion, perhaps madness.
He understands that in spite of her beauty and personality, his beloved has flaws, is just a woman as he is just a man. But his vision of her and of what they become together drives him on until the impossible is within reach.
This epic novel is a brilliant exploration of the human condition, which requires us to cling desperately to the illusion that happiness, our idea of happiness, in the end will be attained, or else it’s hard to know what there is to live for. We believe with him that his love is not in vain, for in the face of despair he finds a way forward.
To the author and narrator: Bravo, this is a literary masterpiece brilliantly performed.

A literary masterpiece brilliantly performed

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Intriguing. I’m pleased to have discovered Orhan Pamuk and have no hesitation in recommending him to listeners. Looking forward to reading more.

A masterpiece

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