Snow

Orhan Pamuk’s seventh novel, Snow, once again explores the conflict between Western values and Islamic fundamentalism, but this time in a more overtly political way. The book describes the experiences of Ka, a poet/journalist who returns to Turkey following a decade-long political exile. When he finds himself snow-bound in a small Turkish town near the Armenian border, he uses his time to engage in conversations with a variety of individuals: a former communist, young Kurds, an Islamic extremist, an Islamic moderate, a secular artist, and others with distinct political perspectives. While the plot is over-determined and the snowed-in circumstance of the protagonist too contrived, the book thoughtfully explores the complex political beliefs and personal identities that arise from modern Turkish society.