You might think it’s impossible for a bibliophile to ever leave a book unfinished. But let me let you in on a little insider secret: yes, we absolutely abandon books if they don’t hook us. We bookworms even have an acronym for it; DNF (Did Not Finish). Look at any reader’s shelf, and you’ll find three distinct categories: Read, DNF, and TBR (To Be Read). And yes, that TBR pile is always growing, so let’s not be judgmental about it! We can talk about that pile when we get to the letter ‘T’.
Today is all about the abandoned books.My shelves hold quite a few books that I started and couldn’t finish for one reason or another. However, there’s one particular DNF book I still think about; My Name is Red by Turkish Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk.
Why is it still in DNF
Usually, a book lands in the DNF pile simply because it’s uninteresting. If the author fails to pull you into the story within the first chapter, it’s easy to lose interest. My Name is Red, however, is a glaring exception to that rule. I have made multiple attempts to finish it. I’ve tried different formats—paperback, ebook, you name it. I even gave the audiobook version a shot. The production quality is great, and John Lee’s narration is wonderful, yet the result is always the same. The book remains firmly in my DNF section.
My Name is Red is a wonderfully crafted historical thriller revolving around the murder of “Elegant Effendi,” a royal miniaturist in the Ottoman court. Orhan has built a fantastic, immersive world out of medieval Istanbul, where Eastern and Western philosophies clash. It explores the rising tension between traditional Islamic and Western Renaissance painting styles, while also tackling deeper themes like faith, identity, and the tussle between traditional and modern artistic expressions.
With his unique use of multiple perspectives, Orhan manages to pull me right back into the narrative every single time I pick the book up. And it’s not just the human characters speaking to us; a dog, a tree, and even the color Red itself take turns telling the story.
Is it a time to move it from DNF?
This incredible blend of faith, art, and highly original storytelling is exactly why I can never quite stop thinking about a book I’ve abandoned so many times. In fact, just writing this post has made up my mind. I’m going to pick it up again and finally finish it this time. That way, I can give you all a proper review and finally get some closure by solving the mystery for myself!
This post is a part of Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026
To read more about books, click here.