Well it was a slightly shaky start to book club yesterday with only two people, I think, having read the whole book. But we obviously didn’t let that stop us having an insightful debate. “My name is red” by Orhan Pamuk is not plot driven. It’s not modern. It’s not western. And it’s very male. So it proved quite a challenge for us plot-loving modern western women.

Deanna described the writing as poetry, and there was general admiration for the translation/translator. It’s certainly very atmospheric book and conjures up strong visual images of the settings (well, it did for me). But it’s not a book to dip in and out of – each chapter is from a different character’s viewpoint, and there are lots of characters plus trees, dogs and coins all having their say. It requires some attention to keep track. Apparently if you get far enough in the

plot kicks in and carries you to the end. One for a long journey.

After the book we moved on to discuss the benefits of having siblings (makes you realise you’re not the centre of the universe), the teenage trauma of trying to find a date for the Irish equivalent of a prom when you go to an all-girls school (hey – what are friends of friends of friends’ brothers for?), extreme makeover beauty contests (we agreed that a bit of exercise and confidence building over a longer period was better than the cut and suck approach), Deanna’s desire to have Zoe from Eastenders’ baby and the ethics of going to a party hosted by someone you don’t

like because there are lots of men listed on the email invite (you go girl!).

PS Darshana - how are the potential husbands? and more importantly are you still up for organising an Indian veggie dinner?

The next book is “What I loved” by Siri Hustvedt.