first impression of Bliss

Livaneli's Bliss was up last night. The first chapter is so unrelentingly grim that it made me miss Cañón's earnest humor and optimism, but Livaneli's imagery and tone suits my tastes much better. Livaneli ain't Pamuk though... despite all of the accolades that Pamuk gets for struggling with Turkish identity, i connect with Pamuk's writing on a very personal level, as his games with memory and history stir something quite deep. I'm not getting that feeling so far with Livaneli, who has a more socially conscious, externally focused nature.