A Picture Can Tell a Thousand Words?

When one has lived in a city for most of his life, one probably has many memories associated with said city. Orhan Pamuk decides to put these memories on paper in Istanbul. However, this isn't just a text to be read and entertained by, but one that makes you look back and reflect on your own memories after putting it down. This has to be one of the aspects that I most enjoy about this book. Despite I have lived a very different life from that of Pamuk, I can easily relate to him through the emotions that he portrays. He also shows a unique and interesting view on memories that might affect your way of thinking, and isn't that one of the factors of a truly great book? Around the world you can find endless amounts of books that can entertain you, but only a more restricted amount will actually make you think.

One way in which Pamuk is able to do this is through the clear focus on emotions that the city evokes instead of its physical aspects. Pamuk doesn't begin the story with a description of the city. Instead, he starts it off with a very personal story about an other kid who looks like him. In addition, Pamuk tells the story in an ambiguous manner that leaves it open for many interpretations. I personally think that this other kid isn't an actual person since Pamuk never physically meets him. This "other Orhan" might literally be another Pamuk in the form of a past or alternate self. Another form of evidence of this possibility is that Pamuk sees the other him in a photograph which is basically a past version of the person in the image.

Personally, I love stories that are up for interpretation. A group of people could be reading the same physical text, but each person could be getting a different story. It gives the reader a sense of importance in this writer-reader relationship that is formed through the book. With all the praise that I've given this book, one could guess that I probably really like this book. I do. However, it is not perfect.

One aspect of Istanbul that I don't really like is the inclusion of the photographs. With the great job that Pamuk did with descriptions and details, I found the pictures to be really unnecessary. I actually found them to be kind of a hassle. They seem out of place and just break the flow. They can also easily distract you from the wonderful text that you are reading becoming an annoyance to the reader.

Nevertheless, this doesn't stop Istanbul from being a great book in my eyes since the problem is mostly aesthetic. The text is still brilliant, and the story is still very interesting. I will really enjoy reading Istanbul.