The Voices Within

Snow-Orhan Pamuk

When i first started reading the book “Snow” by Orhan Pamuk, I thought it would be an immense appetite for my knowledge-seeking self. But sadly, the book has disappointed me a little. Now, i don’t mean to say the book was a disaster, but it didn’t live up to my expectations.When you expect a lot about something and it fails to meet your expectations, the feeling you get is inexpressible. That’s how i am feeling right now.

I wouldn’t say i didn’t like the book at all. That would mean absolute profanity. What i am saying is, the author could have deleted unwanted details and should have concentrated on the main details.When the reviewers crowned the book saying it was an awesome political thriller, i was intrigued. The first few pages of the book were very good and i loved the political and religious conversations.

Well, a brief storyline should do some justice to people who do not know anything about the book:

Ka, the protagonist , is a Turkish poet who comes back to Kars, Turkey from Germany to report why the number of suicide girls in the impoverished place goes higher. He has another wish too: to marry the love of his life, Ipek, the local beauty. Whether or not he manages to find out the reason for the increasing suicide rate in the abandoned city forms the rest of the story. The story is actually a mix of emotions, a multitude of characters and the many conversations that make us think.Ka, basically an atheist by head and a Muslim by heart, is torn between mixed emotions and makes us pity him.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE NOVEL:

I actually liked a lot of things about the novel:

• Blue’s character, which has been beautifully framed. I especially loved Blue’s ideals about the western philosophy and his intelligent conversations with Ka.

• The author’s own ideas and thoughts reflected in an amazing manner whenever a character voices out his conflict of emotions between Westernization and religion .

• The author’s nerve in coming up with a book that’s exclusively based on the Islamic religion, its principles and the followers’ state of mind.

• The author’s forte in making people relate to what’s happening in their lives. I am one hundred percent sure most of the readers (especially the Hindus and Muslims) can relate to whatever is written. That makes the book a must read for all people who are torn between atheism and religion.

• The larger-than-life image portrayed for Blue which makes people crave for his appearance in the book

• The author’s words in reiterating the facts that make people think.

• The serious, confused state throughout the novel that keeps readers glued and intrigued.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT THE NOVEL:

• Ka’s character and his thoughts

• The author’s inability to stick to the important points throughout the novel

• Some of the unimportant characters and their stories

• The author’s deviation from topics that irritated me at times

• Poor formation of the protagonist’s character which always seems to be confused

• The romance part between Ipek and Ka could’ve been cut down a bit as they were irrelevant

• Utter confusion prevailing throughout the novel that made me feel less comfortable

Well, it’s perhaps my fault that i expected a lot from the sensible writer. The dislike i have for Ka’s character is perhaps biased too, because we readers are usually accustomed to reading about protagonists whose images are portrayed exactly the other way round. Ka is everything a larger than life hero is not. Any reader who expects a sensible, brilliant and a smart man, is in for a shock. I actually must learn to love characters that are unconventional and stupid.

Well,on a scale of ten, my rating for the book would be : 7/10

Opinions matter:

Have you read the book? If you have, what do you think about the book in general?If you have not, please read it, in spite of my notions about the book. It might perhaps interest you.

Some of the reviews by fellow bloggers that might be of interest:

http://dannyreviews.com/h/Snow.html

http://www.powells.com/review/2004_12_14.html

http://themoderatevoice.com/entertainment/reviews/17630/guest-book-review-snow-by-orhan-pamuk/

http://kimbofo.typepad.com/readingmatters/2006/04/book_group_sess.html

http://www.themillionsblog.com/2008/01/winter-wilderness-review-of-snow-by.html

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