Another mystery set in Istanbul. A lot of it takes place in and around Tarlabaşı. The underlying Turkish social issues in this one are gentrification and its effect on gypsies and other minorities living currently in Istanbul. It brings in the current issue of urban renewal in Tarlabaşı and the failed relocation of the gypsy community when their properties in Sulukule were expropriated for development. This book also brings in the surviving Osmanlı community that can trace their roots to the Ottoman dynasty, and the current attempt to whitewash and revive interest in the Ottoman Empire and ruling family by the AKP and other conservative elements in Turkish society.
Nadel obviously knows Turkey and keeps up with current social and political issues.
Saturday 15 November 2014
Ordinary Thunderstorms - William Boyd
A man witnesses a crime, panics, and disappears into the big city of London. This book is, in part, a look at how people disappear in a modern western society. The main character disappears deliberately - essentially a withdrawal from every aspect of modern middle class life (home, cell phone, bank card, job, identity papers, altered appearance and even moral sense to a certain degree). But it is also a look at how large groups of people disappear or are invisible in modern society, as the main character ends up living with the marginalized of our world - immigrants, sex workers, drug addicts, petty criminals, illegal aliens, nutters.
There is also a thread about rebuilding a life, and a look at the real essentials: shelter, work, relationship, and how minimal the essential actually is.
The political/industrial juggernaut also has role, with a look at the meeting of the political, criminal and corporate world in the pharma industry complex. This is what lies behind the crime that the main character witnesses, and what he finds himself up against when he disappears.
A good read. Boyd is always interesting. If I had to characterize his fiction, I would say each book focuses in on one or two of the soft underbelly spots, the points of rot, that are the hidden side of modern politics and society. His stuff is worth rereading.
There is also a thread about rebuilding a life, and a look at the real essentials: shelter, work, relationship, and how minimal the essential actually is.
The political/industrial juggernaut also has role, with a look at the meeting of the political, criminal and corporate world in the pharma industry complex. This is what lies behind the crime that the main character witnesses, and what he finds himself up against when he disappears.
A good read. Boyd is always interesting. If I had to characterize his fiction, I would say each book focuses in on one or two of the soft underbelly spots, the points of rot, that are the hidden side of modern politics and society. His stuff is worth rereading.
A Noble Killing - Barbara Nadel
Another novel by Nadel set in Istanbul. Well-written. This time the underlying social issue is honour killings, with some relation to gentrification issues. A good read.
Saturday 8 November 2014
River of the Dead - Barbara Nadel
Another Barbara Nadel mystery set in Turkey. While a lot of the book takes place in Istanbul as usual, a good part of the plot unfolds in the southeast of Turkey - Antep, Mardin and places in between. The plot is centred on the drug transit trade through Turkey from points further east, and it's a tight, convoluted plot as usual. Better written than some of her earlier work.
This book is well-researched as usual, and brings up some interesting cultural elements peculiar to the south-east. It highlights the complex cultural mix of Kurds, Turks, Suriani, Jews and Armenians that once existed there - mainly through observations about architecture and history - sounds like this area would be an interesting place to visit from that point of view.
There is also a glimpse into the clan and family structure that seems to dominate society there, with identifying tattoos for each clan.
Then there is this whole snake goddess cult thing called the Shameran, which apparently crosses ethnic and religious lines. On Wikipedia, this cult is traced back to ancient Crete, where the earliest images of a goddess holding two snakes in her hand were found. This suggests both an unusual cultural affinity and ancient historical continuity worth exploring further.
Al Jazeera means "the Island" and for some groups in the area, this is what they call the great Syrian Plain. Another name for this area is "the ocean".
This book is well-researched as usual, and brings up some interesting cultural elements peculiar to the south-east. It highlights the complex cultural mix of Kurds, Turks, Suriani, Jews and Armenians that once existed there - mainly through observations about architecture and history - sounds like this area would be an interesting place to visit from that point of view.
There is also a glimpse into the clan and family structure that seems to dominate society there, with identifying tattoos for each clan.
Then there is this whole snake goddess cult thing called the Shameran, which apparently crosses ethnic and religious lines. On Wikipedia, this cult is traced back to ancient Crete, where the earliest images of a goddess holding two snakes in her hand were found. This suggests both an unusual cultural affinity and ancient historical continuity worth exploring further.
Al Jazeera means "the Island" and for some groups in the area, this is what they call the great Syrian Plain. Another name for this area is "the ocean".
Thursday 6 November 2014
The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes
Another sharp novel of social observation by Julian Barnes. He sketches a set of characters and then develops a moment of serious drama in their interaction. The real heart of the novel, though, is the main character's slow attempt to understand the true nature of this drama that plays out between them. As the main character narrates the story, it is really a novel about personal history and recollection, and how memory distorts, edits and rewrites the past - and always from a single, personal point of view.
In the first half of the book, the main character creates a fairly comfortable picture of his past and his fellow characters. In the second half of the book, his whole story explodes and crumbles as others' points of view, and even his own forgotten personal actions, resurface and confront him.
His points can be expanded to the study of history in general, and there are comments related to this in sections where some of the main characters are in history class early on.
Interestingly, there seems to be a suspension of judgement upon the main characters, especially the two main ones. You want to judge them, especially the main female character, but the author just doesn't go there. Even the details of the main drama remain sketchy and not quite clear, I think to keep the main focus of the book on this theme of personal history and our edited stories of self.
In the first half of the book, the main character creates a fairly comfortable picture of his past and his fellow characters. In the second half of the book, his whole story explodes and crumbles as others' points of view, and even his own forgotten personal actions, resurface and confront him.
His points can be expanded to the study of history in general, and there are comments related to this in sections where some of the main characters are in history class early on.
Interestingly, there seems to be a suspension of judgement upon the main characters, especially the two main ones. You want to judge them, especially the main female character, but the author just doesn't go there. Even the details of the main drama remain sketchy and not quite clear, I think to keep the main focus of the book on this theme of personal history and our edited stories of self.
Bread and Ashes: A Walk Through the Mountains of Georgia - Tony Anderson
A bit of a mix as a book. Some good personal recollections of landscapes, people and places, mixed with a fair bit of anecdotal history from the ancient and recent past. In describing his experiences and journeys, I find his personal point of view a bit too loud at times - too much judgement, too much commentary, not enough description or facts. Particularly noticeable in the section on traveling in Eastern Turkey's former Georgian region.
He does present a clear picture of Georgian society and what it is like to travel in that context, if it hasn't changed in the past 10 years or so.
Most of the travels seem to have taken place in the 90s - I wonder how much it has changed since then?
He does present a clear picture of Georgian society and what it is like to travel in that context, if it hasn't changed in the past 10 years or so.
Most of the travels seem to have taken place in the 90s - I wonder how much it has changed since then?
Monday 3 November 2014
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Last time I read this book was probably almost 40 years ago...
The story is very prescient, especially considering it was written in 1953. His vision is somewhat similar to Orwell's and Huxley's but the basis of control is completely different - the elimination of social conflict through homogenization of society. The primacy of "fun" as a method of social control. Turns out this model is much closer to the direction of American society than the other two. Orwell and Huxley reflect more the drift of the Soviet state and its satellite states.
Bradbury is a brilliant writer. Not quite sure how, but he is. In just a few simple sentences he seems to be able to express the essence of a character, a situation, a place. You can see it in your mind's eye.
I must try some of his fantasy/science fiction works.
The story is very prescient, especially considering it was written in 1953. His vision is somewhat similar to Orwell's and Huxley's but the basis of control is completely different - the elimination of social conflict through homogenization of society. The primacy of "fun" as a method of social control. Turns out this model is much closer to the direction of American society than the other two. Orwell and Huxley reflect more the drift of the Soviet state and its satellite states.
Bradbury is a brilliant writer. Not quite sure how, but he is. In just a few simple sentences he seems to be able to express the essence of a character, a situation, a place. You can see it in your mind's eye.
I must try some of his fantasy/science fiction works.
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