The main character is Mevlut, who originates from central Anatolia and arrives as a 12-year-old boy; the course of the novel tracks his adolescence and adulthood.

[4] Elena Seymenliyska of The Daily Telegraph described the book as "a family saga that is as much an elegy to Istanbul as to its generations of adopted residents.

"[5] Publishers Weekly stated that "what really stands out is Pamuk's treatment of Istanbul's evolution into a noisy, corrupt, and modernized city.

"[6] According to Garner the author was able to write "alert, humane, nonwonky prose" as a result of researching varied topics.

[5] Dwight Garner wrote that the narrators "contradict one another as if they were talking heads in an early Spike Lee movie.