How about a book review?
Lists are good in terms of giving multiple reading recommendations. But a review of a single piece of literature offers the chance to dive deeper into the subject matter. So why not shake things up?
For this review, I picked a novel called Snow. It was written by the Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, who has won numerous awards for his works, including the most prestigious prize of all, the Nobel Prize for literature, in 2006. He describes Snow, called Kars in Turkish, as his ‘first and last’ political novel.
Snow is a tale of how a secular government does takes ruthless steps against those who dare to oppose it. The oppression shown is remarkably similar to that associated with Islamic fundamentalists. By portraying unique characters, such as Necip, who hopes to become the world’s first Islamist science fiction writer, the author has woven a plot with characters that have depth and are relatable.
Snow is narrated by a friend of Ka’s, who is the central character in the book. Ka, an exiled poet, has returned to Turkey after twelve years and, on the insistence of a friend, agrees to investigate a series of suicides committed by a group of girls in Kars.
Ka agrees to go, hoping to find a former classmate Ipek, who now lives in that area. Upon arriving in Kars, Ka begins his investigation. Talking to the local government authorities and the people, he discovers that there is more to the suicides than what an outsider might think. Throughout the country, and not just in Kars, the primary threat to the government is no longer the Kurds but rather the Islamists. At first, Ka is viewed by both the Islamists and the secular government with suspicion. They are unsure of him because of his outsider status. However, both sides later use him to get their point of view across. In the midst of all this, Ka falls in love with Ipek and discovers that he can finally write poetry again. Thus, there are multiple themes etched throughout the novel: love, patriotism, religion, and many more. The story seeks to address the main issues at the forefront of Turkish politics today. It highlights the opinions held by the Turkish Islamists and the reasons for their struggle against the government. The central theme is conflict, as shown by the relationship between the government and the Islamists, and even within families such as Ipek’s, in which her sister is a rigid Islamist who covers her head, while Ipek does not.
By portraying characters that have multi-layered personalities, Pamuk persuades the reader to look beyond clichés and stereotypes. Since there is a lot of dialogue in this book, the readers contemplate the present Turkish political situation and make their own judgments. Also, because the novel does not highlight the opinion of a particular person but instead chooses to focus on many people’s views, it presents ample perspectives about the conflict afflicting the Turkish nation.
The author’s main argument is that the Islamist individual, before anything else, is a human being. Also, the different interpretations of religion are brought to light when Ka is thought of as an atheist by the local people of Kars. In contrast, he feels a certain ‘love of god’ after arriving there. These varying interpretations leave the reader to make their own judgments about the issues the book brings up.
Overall, Snow was a captivating read. I enjoyed the blend of genres and the novel’s narrative. I hope that you find my review compelling and that you’re interested in reading the story now.
