A review by kmatthe2
Snow by Orhan Pamuk

5.0

A mesmerizingly beautiful book. Pamuk fleshes out the complexity that is Turkey's Arab/Islamic culture in a way that trumps both _Kite Runner_ and _Reading Lolita in Tehran_. Here we have Islamic radicals, moderates, atheists, cultural Arabs, and many more groups. More importantly, Pamuk gives us another look into women in Islamic culture -- those wrangling with the choice to wear the headscarf or not. The range of perspectives helps humanize a culture that has lost its diverse human face in recent years. Pamuk's prose is some of the most enchanting I've read (less Nabakov) -- props to him and his translator. Terrific.