turns the novel on its head?

[Eway]

I'm reading a book review from Independent on Sunday. It says "This bizarre, dazzling novel turns the detective novel on its head, dislodging murder from its iconic status as the final mystery, and establishes Orhan Pamuk as one of the freshest, most original voices in contemporary fiction."

Basically, I don't understand the first 2 parts of this sentence.
What does "turns the detective novel on its head" mean?
What is an "iconic status"? And, "dislodging murder from its iconic status"?

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by Eway

I'm reading a book review from Independent on Sunday. It says "This bizarre, dazzling novel turns the detective novel on its head, dislodging murder from its iconic status as the final mystery, and establishes Orhan Pamuk as one of the freshest, most original voices in contemporary fiction."

Basically, I don't understand the first 2 parts of this sentence.
What does "turns the detective novel on its head" mean?
What is an "iconic status"? And, "dislodging murder from its iconic status"?

To turn something on its head is to turn it upside down, make it completely different.

"Iconic status" means the most important representation of the mystery genre. Most mystery novels involve murder.

[Eway]

So...is it saying that unlike iconic detective novels, this one does not involve murder (which is strange, because there were 2 people died and the murderer remained unknown to the end of the story) ?

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by Eway

So...is it saying that unlike iconic detective novels, this one does not involve murder (which is strange, because there were 2 people died and the murderer remained unknown to the end of the story) ?

I wouldn't have guessed that from the description.

[Eway]

So...what does this description about dislodging mean? I guess I'm still lost.

[Anglika]

This is a review of "The Black Book", which starts out as a murder mystery, but is expanded into an examination of the narrator's obsessions. Pamuk has dislodged - moved aside - the murders as main underlying theme of the narrative to expand on the other more subtle mysteries.

[umeshkumar09]

Originally Posted by Eway

I'm reading a book review from Independent on Sunday. It says "This bizarre, dazzling novel turns the detective novel on its head, dislodging murder from its iconic status as the final mystery, and establishes Orhan Pamuk as one of the freshest, most original voices in contemporary fiction."

Basically, I don't understand the first 2 parts of this sentence.
What does "turns the detective novel on its head" mean?
What is an "iconic status"? And, "dislodging murder from its iconic status"?

It means laying something (novel) in this case upside down.