THE SAINT OF INCIPIENT INSANITIES
This is Shafak's first novel written in English. Deeply insightful and woven with sharp humor and astute observations, The Saint of Incipient Insanities is a vibrant exploration of love and friendship, exile and belonging, East and West.
THE SAINT OF INCIPIENT INSANITIES - Praise
This is an exhilarating rollercoaster ride of a novel--a breathless and vivid journey into the lives of a motley assortment of brilliant, obsessive, and often troubled young immigrants, and an American whom one of them marries. With its themes of displacement, its Boston-area setting, and its ease with academic topics, Shafak's novel suggests Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake with the amplifier cranked up all the way to eleven. A work replete with dazzling wordplay, an infatuation with pop culture, and a fearless intellect, The Saint of Incipient Insanities marks Elif Shafak as a compellingly original voice in 21st Century fiction."
Adam Langer, author of Crossing California
"Elif Shafak offers us an indelibly haunting portrait of contemporary America, in all its sexual/ethno/religious contortions. Goofy, sad, wise, and heart-breakingly funny, her novel is a bittersweet delight to read."
Fernanda Eberstadt
