The Anthropologists, Ayşegül Savaş
“‘Daily life, I said, was a difficult story to tell.’”
The Anthropologists is a beautifully quiet novel that I absolutely loved. It captures the small moments in everyday life—like enjoying toast and coffee in the morning, outings with your husband and friends, and dinners with an elderly neighbour—that often go unnoticed but hold profound significance.
The novel delves into the nuanced details of our main protagonist and her husband's lives, both expats from different cultures. It tenderly portrays their weekly video calls with her mother and grandmother, their routines, their search for a home, and their worries about securing a mortgage. The challenges they face with friends who can be difficult are also sensitively depicted. By bringing these smaller moments of life to the forefront rather than focusing on larger, dramatic events, Savaş offers a refreshing and intimate perspective on daily existence.
‘Back then, it didn’t seem to us that we’d need anyone else, in our small world that was also a universe.’
Savaş's writing is beautifully delivered, structured in short to medium-length vignettes that allow the reader to easily flow through the novel. I couldn't look away from this one and I loved every second I spent with it. The Anthropologists is a gentle yet profound exploration of the ordinary, making it an extraordinary read.
Editorial Picks
