The White Castle

I belong to a lovely little book club. I joined mid 2010 and have been loving it. I have read quite a few books that I would otherwise probably never have considered, and possibly never even come across.

The first book for the year was White Castle. I can't say I was very impressed! Especially considering that Pamuk won the 2006 Nobel prize in literature.

At first I was really enjoying it and from the first 1/3 I thought it was going
to be quite an interesting book. There was an interesting resonance between thenarrator and Joseph (as in colourful coat) but then the narrator seemed to lose his appeal and become very annoying, petty and pathetic (is that just a realistic portrayal of someone stuck in slavery or could we have expected more from the character who seemed so much more interesting and determined at first).

The book seemed to get really bogged down, repetitive and tedious in the middle. And I found the ending frustrating. At the end I was left wondering if I had missed the point and failed to unravel the mystery?. Or is it actually just that the the book is a bit trite?

Overall I am glad I read it but won't be in a rush to read any more Pamuk books!