The Golden House
by Salman Rushdie
Another sprawling magical-realism book by Rushdie – sign me up!
The Golden House recounts ~10 years of a transplanted Indian family in contemporary New York City; mostly sandwiched between 2008-2018. Rene, a neighbor, friend, and almost member of the family narrates the story as he films the ‘Goldens.’
As in all of Rushdie’s books, East and West are mixed into an exotic combination. There are classical (Latin) themes mingled with South-Asian Islam. There are Russian folk characters beside hipster New Yorkers. There’s religious extremism, the lingering effects of colonialism, exploration of sexual identity, corruption, violence, and of course Bollywood.
The early book describes each member of the family; Nero, Petya, Apu, D, and later Vasilia. Honestly, exploring the personality quirks of each character was my favorite part.
Later on, Nero’s back story is filled in and many of the hints and foreshadowing from earlier in the book are fleshed out.
My Opinion:
The Golden House didn’t disappoint, but then again I had no idea where it was going. But plot isn’t ever the reason to read Rushdie, the recounting is the pleasure. I love Rushdie’s drawing fantasy, history, and myth into his stories. Also how he contrasts and pits characters against each other.
Who would ever see the names Nero and Rene as near reflections of each other until it is described that way? And the possible implications of that…
Rushdie weaves important information with the banal in a way that somehow well represents reality. Or, at least in a way that makes you laugh and realize how petty people really are.
I like his mixing contemporary themes like terrorism and the vileness of Trump with timeless ones like family, love, aging, and legacy.
In sum, it’s an entertaining book. A good piece of fiction; one that will stay with me for a while. It is not the genre of book that changes lives, but that’s not what I was looking for.
Have you read the Golden House or another of Rushdie’s books? What did you think?