An Analysis of Metaphysical Detective Fiction: A case study of Orhan Pamuk’s The Black Book and Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules of Love

Abstract

This research aims to highlight the characteristics of metaphysical detective fiction in the work of two contemporary Turkish novelists Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak, The Black Book and The Forty Rules of Love, respectively. The novels mentioned above challenge classical detective fiction by using defeated detectives, ambiguous narratives, unusual situations, missing identities, eerie situations, open-ended investigations, and lack of proper beginning, middle and end. The broken identities of the characters and the detectives will make them embark on a voyage towards recognizing their own selves. All the characters face a serious dilemma regarding identity crisis. In the dissatisfaction of identity, they realize their true identity and transform into new beings. This research also highlights the role of the reader in metaphysical detective fiction. The search for meaning compels the reader to be a detective himself who tries to find the answer in the intertwined network of metaphysical detective fiction.