★★★

I have never read a book like this one.

Orhan Pamuk’s journals, scanned on these pages, explore his creative processes, the choice he felt he had to make between writing and art, his desire to craft the perfect character for his novel, and his daily life.

These journals are a testament to how creativity and vulnerability are truly the things that draw people together most, revealing that we have many more similarities than differences.

I really resonated with his thoughts about feeling as if he had to bury the creative path he didn’t pursue in his youth, only to rediscover and cultivate it later in life. I also felt connected with him in his focus on becoming a new and different person, and his recognition that time and circumstance play huge roles in that.

Because I have never read his works, I couldn’t connect with the spreads that discussed his writing process and the evolution of his books. I’m sure if I had that prior knowledge, I would’ve loved being able to compare the finished works to their earlier stages.

Another thing I struggled with was the layout being confusing at times. On some pages the journal scan covered the typed captions, while on others the layout was hard to read via ebook format. I also wish the chronology of the journals was easier to follow because I didn’t like how much jumping around there was.


Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the e-ARC!

Memories of Distant Mountains is a complex book filled with disconnected thoughts, ideas, and feelings. My attempts to connect with the book were unsuccessful. My favorite part of the diary entries was the art that accompanied them.

Beautiful, haunting, dreamlike. A fascinating and intimate glimpse into the daily musings and watercolor journals of one of the most profound contemporary writers of our time.