Endgame by Ahmet Altan

Turkish author and journalist Ahmet Altan makes his English language debut with Endgame, originally published in Turkish as Son Oyun

Book Review by Vanessa Piras | 05 Oct 2015
Book title: Endgame
Author: Ahmet Altan

'What is life if we don't play it like a game? Nothing but an overwhelming stretch of anxiety and boredom.' In Endgame, internationally acclaimed Turkish novelist Ahmet Altan explores dangerous secrets and murderous intrigues in a seemingly quiet little town – where violence, betrayal and suspicion live side by side with everyday life and an iniquitous virtual world.

When a writer decides to retire and move into what was supposed to be the tranquil shelter of this small Turkish town, he finds himself involved with hidden treasures, corruption and murder. But what really happened, and who did he kill? Sensual, highly psychological and introspective, this is a profound and complex work that brings up arcane religious and moral debates as well as the eternal conflict between man and woman.

Altan uses a devious, unreliable narrator to capture the reader's attention with powerful and intensely sensorial descriptions. Providing interesting psychological insight, involving guilt, pleasure and paranoid thoughts to resemble Dostoyevsky's finest, Endgame is intriguing, disturbing and revealing all at once. This novel comes from one of the most significant authors and journalists on the Turkish and international literary scenes. Throughout his career, Altan has won several prestigious awards such as the Prize for Freedom and Future of the Media, and published great literary successes including Like a Sword Wound and Four Seasons of Autumn. Endgame is another.


Out now, published by Canongate, RRP £12.99