The Gaze
Author: Shafak, Elif
ISBN: 9780241201916
Publisher: Penguin (General UK)
Year First Published: 2015
Pages: 272
Dimensions: 197mm x 129mm x 17mm
Format: Paperback / softback
Description
A beautiful and compelling novel that considers the damage which can be inflicted by our simple desire to look at others
'I didn't say anything. I didn't return his smiles. I looked at him in the wide mirror in front of where I was sitting. He grew uncomfortable and avoided my eyes. I hate those who think fat people are stupid.'
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 while 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.
Intertwined with the story of a bizarre freak-show organized in Istanbul in the 1880s, The Gaze considers the damage which can be inflicted by our simple desire to look at others.
ISBN: 9780241201916
Publisher: Penguin (General UK)
Year First Published: 2015
Pages: 272
Dimensions: 197mm x 129mm x 17mm
Format: Paperback / softback
Description
A beautiful and compelling novel that considers the damage which can be inflicted by our simple desire to look at others
'I didn't say anything. I didn't return his smiles. I looked at him in the wide mirror in front of where I was sitting. He grew uncomfortable and avoided my eyes. I hate those who think fat people are stupid.'
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 while 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.
Intertwined with the story of a bizarre freak-show organized in Istanbul in the 1880s, The Gaze considers the damage which can be inflicted by our simple desire to look at others.
