This review was originally posted at http://eatreadexplore.wordpress.com/2...The Gaze is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Several stories, set in different times and places, each deal with different facets of the burden of being judged by one’s outward appearance. Facts and fiction intermingle in this book which is relatively short, only 264 pages, but is so packed with wonderful things that it feels like a much longer read. The build-up of the book is quite odd, because you feel like it starts in medias res, i.e. right in the middle. But as the book progresses, especially towards the end, you come to the conclusion that this isn’t the case. This isn’t your typical book with 1 main protagonist, and a clear beginning, middle, and end. It hasn’t one specific goal to be reached by the end of the book, which is why it might not appeal to some people. The story goes round in a circle, and ends up at pretty much the same point where it started. At some point it looks like the separate stories are beginning to overlap, but this is only briefly hinted at and not pursued any further. It’s up to the reader to fill in the gaps that link the stories, if there are any. The main message that the book carries out, in my opinion, is that everyone is judged by their outward appearance to some extent. Everyone, even the most open-minded kind of people will have a spark of prejudice inside them, even if they don’t realise it. It is something that is so inherently human that we can never break free from it completely. It doesn’t have an ending, which is the reason why the book doesn’t have a clear ending either.What I like about the book is that it forces the reader to think long and hard about prejudices, and the easy manner with which we pass judgement on other people. To do this you don’t need any words, just a simple gaze will do. I am not a judgemental person by nature, but still the book and its characters stayed with me for a long time after I’d finished reading, and I found difficult to snap out of it. The most important thing to remember is that sometimes actions speak louder than words and that one look, one gaze can be enough to hurt someone beyond belief.
"Time didn't proceed in a straight line from yesterday, through today, and into the future. Sometimes it went forwards and sometimes it went backwards; sometimes it walked and sometimes it stood still; it staggered about drunkenly." just like that the story had no straight line to go through; no beginning, middle, end. The author took both ends of the threads and tied the story into one complete circle, a circle full of wonder, addressing the human nature to gaze and to judge, to dissect every scene in front of us. Reading the book during a critical phase of my life regarding the same subject, the author captured the essence of this particular experience and displayed it for everyone to read and reflect on. She never stops to amaze me. A book everyone must read.
What do You think about The Gaze (2006)?
Tamam artık. Şu ana kadar üç tane Elif Şafak romanı okudum ve bu sonuncusu olacak. Bundan sonra dünyanın en güzel kitabını yazdığı iddia edilse dahi, daha fazla dayanamıyorum bu kadının kitaplarına. Onu da biliyorum, şunu da biliyorum, bakın ben neler neler biliyorum! Kurguda okuruna böyle üstten bakmak, caka satmak son derece rahatsız edici bir yazar için. Çok özgün bir konu seçip bu konuyu oryantalist masallarla süsleyip Türk okuru dışındaki herkese pazarlamaya çalışmanın bir timsalidir "Mahrem". Ve ben Elif Şafak'ın nasıl olup da Ahmet Hamdi'den ya da Yusuf Atılgan'dan daha fazla el üstünde tutulduğuna hayret ediyorum. Kendinizi kandırmayın. Bu kadın size zaten bilmediğiniz bir şey anlatmıyor.
—Fulya İçöz
I have never read anything like that before. I am awed by her ability to describe ordinary things of daily life such extraordinarily and extraordinary things such brilliantly.When I started reading this book, I went through the reviews and was amused to see someone relating this book to an extremely fatty lasagna dish. The similarity is striking. Like a lasagna, you keep getting stuffed but you keep eating anyway because all the different flavors of cheese, meat, pasta and sauces keep stimulating you taste buds, complimenting each other yet keeping their own distinct taste. By the end of the novel, you are more than stuffed but down to the last chapter, you’ve almost digested your lasagna and as you close your book, you crave to eat lasagna once more. Certainly not a light read but worth it.
—Sonia Ahmed
This book was beautifully written, and I'm really hoping this writing style is consistent in Elif's other books as this was the first of hers I have read after seeing her give a talk at my university for International Women's Day. The book jumps back and forth between storylines and while it can be a little bewildering at first, it is in equal parts interesting and exciting. Luckily, all of the segments are tied up satisfyingly by the end. The mixing of fairytale and fable with apparent realism is really something to behold.
—Beth
