A New York Times Notable Book
"[A] superb novel, which grips the reader and refuses to let go."
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The New Yorker "Propulsive. . . . Reveals a family that is as complicated and volatile as [their] country. . . . The work of a great engineer."
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The Washington Post "Inspired and impassioned. . . . Threaded through with ideas about history, religion, memory, class and politics. . . . The reading experience is so very pleasurable."
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The New York Times Book Review
"Luminous and stylistically inventive. . . . Brilliantly captures the disorder, nostalgia and hope of a society struggling with violence and self-definition."
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San Francisco Chronicle "An excellent introduction to a body of work that is worthy of its 2006 Nobel Prize. . . . Pamuk summons empathy."
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Impressive. . . . Proves once and for all that [Pamuk] is truly one of the world's most versatile fiction writers, no matter the language in which he is read. . . . [A] subtle portrayal of the slow-burning fire of Turkey's revolution."
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The New York Observer
"A poised and hugely impressive grasp of human variety."
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The Sunday Times (London)
"Artfully managed. . . . Illuminate[s] some of the sources of Islamist ideology, and sketch[es] the problems of Turkey. . . . Neither a polemic nor a history. It's a satisfying work of fiction by one of the best novelists writing today."
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The Washington Times
"An excellent introduction to [Pamuk's] Nobel Prize-winning body of work."
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The Miami Herald
"With its modernist multi-perspective narrative, the novel is full of arresting and unforgettable literary moments. . . . Psychologically gripping. . . .
Silent House is both a highly readable fiction and an unsparing portrait of the Turkish intellectual class."
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The Independent (London)
"A poignant portrayal of everyday life in a 1980s Turkish seaside resort. . . . Pamuk transports us to a pivotal moment in his homeland's history–and maps the emotional geography of modern Turkey."
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National Geographic Traveler (Book of the Month)
"Fanatical politics might empty our heads, but it is literature that returns humanity to the silent house."
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The Daily Beast
"The beginnings of a great writer. . . . 30 years on, the novel feels doubly prescient."
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The Guardian (London)
"A powerful, assured and engaging multiple-voiced narrative. It provides exciting insights into the subsequent career of a consistently original novelist. . . . English-language readers now have the opportunity to experience early Pamuk; it has been well worth the wait."
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The Irish Times (Dublin)
"Pamuk builds a multifaceted panorama distinguished by his customary intellectual richness and breadth."
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Kirkus Reviews
