Rebecca Morris Morris من عند Engelssky District, Saratov Oblast, روسيا من عند Engelssky District, Saratov Oblast, روسيا

For me the book was interesting in its setting (Kars, Turkey, a remote ancient town far past its prime), one of its themes (radical Islam vs Turkey's 20th century devotion to secularism) and the more or less tortured main characters. The main conflict seemed to be the head scarf worn by some of the women and the pressure evident to either wear or not wear this symbolic garb. As I noted in the other book I read by Pamuk, Istanbul, his writing has large elements of melancholy and sadness. He certainly does give the Westerner a view into a country that sits between two worlds.