I read some short stories by Ali last year after I saw him recommended on Reddit as being better Turkish author than Pamuk. Many of the short stories were quite nice (I remember one specifically about gypsies and a windmill) but they mostly fell flat for me as well. I like postmodern trickeries and shenanigans though, which is likely why I enjoyed Pamuk more. Ali seems much more straightforward, at least in the English translations I read.