BOOK REVIEW : THE MUSEUM OF INNOCENCE by ORHAN PAMUK

Hello people, imagine a scenario... A new Michelin star restaurant has opened up in your city and you have been wanting to go there since quite some time. Finally, the grand day comes and you go there for a much-awaited dinner. But, lo behold, instead of enjoying a magnum opus culinary experience, you come back with a feeling of cheated out and being totally in the pits...The reason is very simple: you chose the wrong dishes!!
I am facing the same predicament this time. Orhan Pamuk is a name that needs no introduction in the literary world. He is an institution by himself and is a winner of the Nobel prize. He is often compared to the likes of Charles Dickens and other great literary legends. I am not exaggerating in my claim when I say that this was one author whom I really really wanted to read. I was super excited to finally get hold of an Orhan Pamuk book.
But my excitement did not even last the first 100pages!!!
Saying that I was feeling low, as a result, would be an understatement. Since the book is almost 720 pages, I was not willing to give up and was hoping that the story would pick up sometime soon...but somehow I just could not rebuild the excitement or the feeling of being able to relate to the characters of this novel and it was all downhill since then...
However, that's not to say that "The Museum of Innocence" is a bad book. Its an exceptional writing by Pamuk. He has written this book from his heart and as you go through it, you realize the awesome research put in by him to bring alive a certain era and its people, the society, the culture, and the way people conducted themselves during that period.
It is a simple story with beautiful insights into human psychology, human behavior and societal norms at large.
The central characters here are Kemal and Fusun, two people who are soulmates but are not able to spend their lives together owing to destiny. Pamuk tells us the story in Kemal's voice( first person's account) in a very moving manner making the reader experience the various ups and downs faced by these lovers in their lives. Kemal's love for Fusun makes him at times appear desperate, arrogant, rude, obsessive, spineless, and selfish. But one characteristic typical throughout the book was his love for Fusun, however flawed. His actions, his decisions were all centered around his one desire and that was to marry Fusun.
I could not for the most part of the story relate to the character of Kemal and his behavior. I found it very weird the way he used to collect things used by her, like cigarette stubs, her earrings, and so on. Initially, he would steal them when no one was watching and later deliberately, asking for them.
What was different (at least for me) in this story was the manner in which Orhan Pamuk comes at the end of the story as himself, an author who agrees to write a book on Kemal and Fusun's story from Kemal's point of view in his voice. It makes the story seem real and factual.
I have learned a few notable truths about me, the reader from this Orhan Pamuk book and they are:

• In my role as a self-proclaimed voracious reader, I now lack in patience. To be able to keep my interest alive through almost 700pages was almost an ordeal.

Conclusion: I should check the number of pages and only then lay my hands on a book.
I must be sounding a lunatic who does not understand books at all but this was not always the case. In fact, one of my all-time favorite authors is Ayn Rand and we all know how thick her books are!!

• I am not very high on reading long descriptions. Even when I was younger I would skip all sorts of descriptions and that habit is still there. This trait happens quite naturally, almost like second nature - skipping long descriptions!!
• I should in the future ask fellow book lovers about their experiences about a particular author/ book and then dip my hands in it!!

( This is more of an advice to myself than a point of self-discovery)

• The most important point is that I should first read the author's most popular books and then go on to read the lesser known ones. In this way, I will ( in an ideal situation) not be disillusioned or disheartened by the hype generated around a particular book.

Finally, I would like to say that everyone has their tastes and I am sure there are many who love this book. But this one just did not do it for me!!!!

BOOK REVIEW : The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafaq

ESCAPIST: A term often used to describe me, as I am always with my head deep down in a book and that too mostly fiction. In my defense, I will quote my friend, another so-called Escapist. He said, " Because I read fiction  I am able to understand and grasp reality better because of my mind's duality to relate to both imagination and reality with equal ease!!". How I wish everyone felt the same and would never criticize me for my books.

I agree that my books help me to escape into another world altogether, but, the point is that it may not always be a paradise or a fantasy land where I take shelter. There are books which make you sit straight and push you to look deep inside you, to face your demons and even guide to slay them!!

Then there are some that question your beliefs and makes you step out of your comfort zone and face the bigger truth!!

Elif Shafaq's "The Bastard of Istanbul" is one such book and you too can get hold of this book by simply clicking on the given link: https://amzn.to/2RFPe1C

I happened to chance upon this book in a local bookshop and the synopsis was so intriguing, that I had to buy the book.

Shafaq has written a beautiful story about the complexities of the human nature in the backdrop of the mesmerizing city of Istanbul and it's history, which is, in turn, fascinating, fearsome, tragic, and heroic. A history that is very rich and vibrant yet tainted by the horrific Armenian Genocide in the year 1915 under the Ottoman regime( the Turkish government till date does not acknowledge it as genocide but terms it as a consequence of the civil unrest which claimed many lives, both on the Armenian side as well as the Turkish side).

This story revolves around the Kazanci family who has been living in Istanbul for many generations. Owing to a mysterious family curse, all the Kazanci men die in their early forties, so the Kazanci household is a house of women. Four generations of women live together under the same roof, with temperaments, religious affinity, nature and way of living, so different from one another, that it's almost a miracle to see them all living together in harmony, albeit unsynchronised and imperfect!! Asya, a young girl, 4th generation Kazanci woman, is a bag of contradictions, a rebel but with her heart in the right place. On the other hand is Armanoush, half Armenian and half American born and brought up in America but always finds herself on the threshold and feels that there is a link missing that stops her from being a part of either the American or the Armenian culture fully. She decided to go to Istanbul in search of that missing link and goes to stay with her far-away cousins, the Kazancis. The two girls meet, saddled with pre-conceived notions about each other's religion and community. However, over the days they get to understand each other's perspective, helping them to view the past in a new light, thus bringing the girls closer.

What I really liked about this book is the honest and nonjudgemental portrayal of a country and it's varied people. Shafaq has written on a subject close to her heart and has tried her best to keep the story as real as possible without taking sides or indulging in any blame-game pertaining to Turkey's turbulent past.

Another thing that really appealed to me is the beautiful description of Istanbul. I actually got to visualize its streets, the market, the beautiful houses, the weather, and the pungent whiff of the sea through Shafaq's passionate writing.

Shafaq has written in her acknowledgment( at the end of the book) that she was put on trial for " denigrating Turkishness" under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, because of some words were spoken by the Armenian characters in this novel. The charges were eventually dropped. I am in awe of such authors who stand for the truth and not hesitate to stand up against all odds for what they righteously believe in. May their tribe increase!!