It's awful when you're looking for an experience on par with a Nobel laureate like Pamuk or Saramago and you come across something that simply doesn't reach that depth or feels forced. I loved your analogy with food and whiskey; you're absolutely right that sometimes we need "breather" books that don't change our lives, but simply entertain us for a while without overwhelming our mental palate. It's a very healthy way of looking at it so you don't feel like it was a waste of time.