Pet Peeve #2

The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak

Well, it's pet peeve time again. I was really hoping I'd love this book -- after all, nothing makes me happier than reading about a place that isn't America. Any place. The first 2 chapters exceeded my expectations (with a subject like abortion, no less). I thought, "Fantastic! I've found a new favorite author!" No.

Problem #1: Limitless flashbacks

I enjoy a good flashback like the next person (my favorite show is Lost, for Heaven's sake -- and it's half flashback, half actual story), but when it takes away from the main story and is boring, I end up skipping paragraphs - nay, whole chapters at a time.
In addition to the flashbacks, every single character gets their own scenes/chapters, which sometimes is really good, but sometimes leaves me wondering when I'm gonna get back to the heroine. With a heavy sigh, I skip some more pages.

Problem #2: Needless wordiness

This author likes to refer to each character by his/her whole name almost every time she referrs to the character. It raised my suspicion that she was trying to reach a target word/letter count when in one paragraph, the name "Barsam Tchakhmakhchian" appeared like 10 times.
Aside from names, she likes to describe things and "remember" things, and describe the way so and so really liked a certain food, tries to get us emotionally involved in that food, and then in a glorious climax, prints the entire recipe in the text.

Problem #3: Head-hopping

In my effort to write a really good novel, I've done some research on various "rules" to keep my composition from sucking. One of these rules is that in a single scene, the writer should stick with one character's point of view so that the reader doen't get confused about who's doing what or who's thinking what. This writer looooooves to break that rule. At one moment, we're following one character, following her moves, her thoughts, and all of a sudden, we're in someone else's head. Someone else is moving and thinking. For a look at "the rules", click here: http://writing-world.com/fiction/headhop.shtml

Pet Peeve #4: The violating twist (spoilers ahead)

I'm all for a good WTF twist at the end, but utter reader (and character) violation is too much. The author did not set up for it in any way, leaving me to have to re-read the offending scene (oh yes, it was incest! DETAILED INCEST!) 1. because there had been too much wordy description/flashbacks and I had been skimming, and 2. because I was hoping my evening hadn't been ruined by what I thought I just read ... but it was. I was so frustrated that I wanted to open my high-rise window and let the stinking thing fly ... but littering also irritates me, so I shoved it violently back on the shelf. It will take a ride with me on my next trip to the used bookstore.