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Synopses & Reviews
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR
NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD LONGLIST * A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A TIME BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A DAKOTA JOHNSON x TEATIME BOOK CLUB PICK * VULTURE #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR * A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * AN ELECTRIC LITERATURE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE SELECTION
"The Anthropologists is mesmerizing; I felt I read it in a single breath." -Garth Greenwell
Asya and Manu are looking at apartments, envisioning their future in a foreign city. What should their life here look like? What rituals will structure their days? Whom can they consider family?
As the young couple dreams about the possibilities of each new listing, Asya, a documentarian, gathers footage from the neighborhood like an anthropologist observing local customs. "Forget about daily life," chides her grandmother on the phone. "We named you for a whole continent and you're filming a park."
Back in their home countries parents age, grandparents get sick, nieces and nephews grow up--all just slightly out of reach. But Asya and Manu's new world is growing, too, they hope. As they open the horizons of their lives, what and whom will they hold onto, and what will they need to release?
Unfolding over a series of apartment viewings, late-night conversations, last rounds of drinks and lazy breakfasts, The Anthropologists is a soulful examination of homebuilding and modern love, written with Ayseg l Savas' distinctive elegance, warmth, and humor
Review
“A great love story about aging parents, romantic love, and what it means to call a place home.” —Electric Literature, "Best Novels of 2024"
“What makes this slim novel sing are the intricately drawn ways the couple spends their time with the people around them, whether neighbors, friends, or family members. As Asya and Manu view apartments and imagine different futures for themselves, Savas crafts a remarkable narrative about the ordinary moments that fill our lives.” —Time, “10 Best Fiction Books of 2024”
“Here, a unicorn: a propulsive, well-written novel about a couple in which both parties enjoy the other’s company . . . The book feels a little like a magic trick. Through pitch-perfect observations, droll and intimate interactions, through attention and care, Aysegul Savas has conjured a page turner.” –Vanity Fair, “21 Best Books of 2024!”
About the Author
Aysegül Savas is the author of the acclaimed novels Walking on the Ceiling and White on White. Her work has been translated into six languages and has appeared in the New Yorker, the Paris Review, Granta, and elsewhere. She lives in Paris.