561 pages (trade paperback) Fiction
This book had a ton of press in the late 80’s and early 90’s. As most people know the Islamic reaction to this book was extreme and caused quite a commotion between different countries. This included a fatwa on Rushdie’s life that eventually held an almost 3 million dollar reward. There are a number of things in the book that a follower of Islam could find insulting. My understanding is the biggest problem stemmed from a poor translation of the title made it seem as if Rushdie called the Qur’an satanic. There are also depictions of people that have the same name or similar names to characters from the Qur’an. This is a violation of Islamic tradition that does not allow visual depictions of the religious test. Of course they are not drawn in the book, but are described in detail.
I attempted to read this when I was in high school, but both it’s foreign subject matter and dense writing style made it hard for my 17 year old brain. I eventually picked up other Rushdie books and have become a huge fan since. Anyone that reads my reviews will know that I am usually extremely pleased with his writing.
Unfortunately, to understand this book some spoiling is necessary. Part of this is just me attempting to understand all that is going on. I won’t try to reveal anything too important.
The book follows the lives of two men. Gibreel and Saladin. The book begins with both of them flying over the English Channel for different reasons. The plane cracks up and these two are the only ones to survive. They are found by a strange old woman and at that point there lives take a fantastic switch. Saladin starts to turn into a Devil. Gibreel gains a halo and becomes an Angel.
Their lives split apart. One takes the good life and the other drops into misery after misery; matching their newfound bodies. As this happens they start to go into dream like trances. It is as if they both have two lives. One: The continuation of their old life now being experienced in a new body. Two: A dream world that seems to be in the past. It is in this dream world that the cause of all Rushdie’s fatwa troubles is written. I am not a Muslim scholar. In fact I really don’t know much about Islam other than what a small amount of research tells me. My understanding is that in the dream we experience a “parody” of Mohammed’s life. Rushdie writes about people taking on the persona of famous people from The Prophet’s life. These people are poets, prostitutes, beggars and thieves.
This part of the book became very hard for me the first time around. Now, as a more experienced literary reader I still had difficulty. At first it isn’t made clear that you are in a “dream sequence”. For me it was if a different story was being told. It wasn’t until much later is it revealed that as the two main character go into these “trances” they are leading a separate life.
As always I find Rushdie’s writing to be fantastic. He has a style that is joyful to digest. He could be writing about anything and it would be good just for the construction of words and sentences. That said, this is probably one of the hardest books I have ever been successful at finishing. The main characters are Indian. Although I have a better understanding of Indian life then some, I am barely a novice when it comes to the culture. Knowledge of things such as jobs and names and locations are taken for granted. This book requires effort to read. This isn’t a Stephen King, thriller page turner. (I am not putting him down only making a comparison.) With that in mind, I really did enjoy the story. There are twists and turns. Rushdie’s ability to take the world as we know it, splash some fantasy in it, then tell a gripping story is as evident here as any of his other books.
3 Intellectual/Emotional – It is easy to imagine yourself being thrown a curve ball as these two men have. Coming to grips with their new life is a large part of the story.
4 Readability/Style – Rushdie’s writing is a pleasure. His ability to make small things a joy to read is done with an ability that few modern writers can match.
5 Long-Term Impact – This book is one of the poster boys of censorship in writing. It has been banned in countries around the world. Because of this it will have a long lasting place in the history of books. Even though I would not put this as my favorite of Rushdie’s writing even without the controversy surrounding the book it would stand on it’s own as great modern literature.
12 out of 13. I enjoyed this book very much. It was challenging and worthwhile. That said, this is NOT the place to start reading Rushdie’s books. I would suggest The Moor’s Last Sigh or Midnight’s Children. If you are not familiar with Indian writing or culture I might suggest you read some other people’s work to more familiarize yourself with it before delving into Rushdie. He is undoubtedly a great writer, but requires a lot of his readers to totally enjoy his books. I wouldn’t even claim to fully “GET” all that I read. BUT once you have the background and willingness to put in the effort this and all of his writing is worth your time.
As always,
Keep Turning Pages
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