Identities are popular.. but mistaken

Orhan Pamuk: The Black Book.

There's a lot one can say about this book. Written in exile, situated in Istambul in 1980 just before a military coup, exploring old schools of Middle-East philosophies.. it's rich and entertaining. There is even a theme that some of the marxist groups of Turkey of that era were cover organisations for old religious sects.

A recurring theme in the book is however a national identity. One of the main characters, Celal, delivers a speech in which he explains how nations have disappeared when they lost their sense of identity and adopted too many of the habits of their neighbours. However, the speech is a fake. It is delivered by another person who steals Celal's identity.

Bonus: some books that nicely illustrate how some people adopt extremism as an identity: Alaa el-Aswany: The Yakoubian Building, Mohsin Hamid: The Reluctant Fundamentalist.