My Name Is Red shows that there is no other writer like Orhan Pamuk. Orhan Pamuk is a unique writer with his novel structure, plot, and his intense and complex narration (complex in a good sense). I realized this when I read My Name Is Red, and now I'm sure of it. While reading the book, I got lost in its rich knowledge and thoughts. It is truly a book that shows how much the author knows, and it examines human identity and existence very well, forcing the reader to think and, in a sense, to do philosophy at the end of each chapter.
Due to some reasons, I had to take a break for about a week, so my reading took a bit longer. However, you should continue reading while your ideas are still fresh, regardless of how long it takes. It is not only one of the masterpieces of Turkish literature but also of world literature in the postmodern era.
I read this book for the first time during the corona pandemic, but I couldn't establish any connection with it at all. However, this time I didn't close my eyes and headed towards it. I did some research on it, read the reviews, and got to know what the structure of the book was like. And this time, I was able to establish a better connection with it.
I don't know how to write a review for such a book because I haven't read anything of this magnitude in my life. Maybe the stories of One Thousand and One Nights or the Mathnawi of Rumi are similar to it, but none of them are in the form of a novel. The book has thousands of layers, is complex and intertwined. There are many details that seem to have no importance for following the main plot of the story, but in the end, you realize that there is no main plot at all and there is no specific story at work. The book is actually just those intertwined narratives and writings.
In short, I think this book is for professional readers, that is, you have to have read a lot of things and then go after this.