Osman, a young student in the city, discovers a "new life" within the pages of a book. When he reads it, he is so profoundly shaken that he wants to completely change his life. And then he falls passionately in love with his radiant classmate, Janan. However, she loves Mehmet, who will mysteriously disappear.

Osman will abandon his studies and his family to seek the darkest secrets of the book that has become his obsession. He leaves for distant Anatolia with Janan, searching for Mehmet's traces while also seeking the life that the book promises...

He will wander on old buses, through provincial roads, and in local cafes. He will travel in a world literally filled with Byzantine conspiracies swirling through the steppes and the desolate border towns of Turkey. He will discover the dangerous nature of love, literature, and fanaticism...

“A novel that moves from the intellectual labyrinths of Borges' pen to an exuberant lyricism reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez.” The Wall Street Journal

“Combining an evaluation of the relationship between reading and cultural identity with a timeless and poignant narrative about the search for happiness, Pamuk's novel has incredible intensity, enchanting style, and the dreamlike quality of a vision.” Publishers Weekly

“A brilliant novel that explores the enigma of national and individual identity.” Kirkus Reviews