The Golden House: A Novel

The author of The Golden House, Salman Rushdie, and I have lived through the same decades, but his life has been global and large; mine provincial and small. Mr. Rushdie was born in Mumbai, however his influences were both British and Indian. Everyone remembers that he lived in fear of his life as a Muslim under a fatwa because of his book, The Satanic Verses. In The Golden House, Rushdie writes as a New Yorker. He tells a tale of a Mumbai family, hiding with new identities, under a mysterious veil of danger in New York City. Our narrator is a young American man raised by professorial and loving parents on the edges of the MacDougal-Sullivan Gardens. (They’re real, look it up.) The Golden family lives at the other end of the Gardens and these recent arrivals are endlessly fascinating to René, the son of Gabe and Darcy. The Goldens were “reborn” when they left Mumbai to live in America with their adopted Roman names. The father claimed the name of Nero, with all its end-of-empire symbolism. His first son took the name Petronius, the second chose Lucius Apuleius (Apu) and the third became Dionysus or D. The names were perhaps a bad idea. René had always wanted to be a film maker but his life seems too prosaic until it becomes entangled in the low key, but rather tragic, lives of this family with no mother and, seemingly, no past. This novel is, among other things, an homage to great movies/films – European, Hollywood, Bollywood. Salman Rushdie, bursting still with crackling intellectual energy pulls into his story references to the movies he has loved, the same movies we love, except for a few so highbrow they may never have been available in the hinterlands I have inhabited. These movies still live vividly in his prodigious memory and in the minds of many a film buff. As the Golden family comes apart, because you really cannot escape the past, a politician known as the Joker, guess who, a clownish grafter, is running for the American Presidency. (The parallels between American Democracy and the fall of Rome are hardly subtle.) As we know the Joker wins the election. This is a very readable novel, without the Muslim/Indian baseline which is foreign to most Americans and makes some Rushdie novels seem somewhat dense. The Golden House is a tour de force by a man who is comfortable in cultures around the globe and does not mind splashing around in his literary bona fides for our enjoyment. Eliot’s “Prufrock” and Shakespeare get cameos among the films – “I grow old, I grow old, I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.” Not yet, Mr. Rushdie, not yet. Those of us who are shell-shocked with worry for American Democracy can find some comfort in the decision this British/Indian man made to put on his New York/American persona in order to help us through these chaotic days (and nights, and months, and years). What began as a comedy could easily become a classical tragedy. However, I think you will read this tragedy with a great big old smile on your face (at least some of the time).

This is a very interesting read but beware, Salman Rushdie is very erudite and it's not a breezy, easy read. You do have to concentrate. While it's fiction, you can't help but feel you're reading about Donald Trump. Certainly much of what's in the book is accurate in terms of news of the day, politics, issues and even all the weather disasters we experienced in 2017. I suggested it for my book club and we will be discussing it in a few weeks; and so far, it seems everyone is really enjoying it and looking forward to the discussion. There is lots to discuss...lots of symbolism and poignant messages about us as a people, our priorities and the face we put out to the public. I'm really glad I read it.

This work of art may not appeal to all readers of all ages, but for me, The Golden House has proven to be an exceptional experience. I urge you to taste and see, or perhaps relish, as I have, the genius that is Salmon Rushdie.

As a huge Rushdie fan, I found this book interesting as also, but slow in terms of narrative drive. The plot takes a turn that causes me to lose interest in the protagonist. Rushdie is a stunning writer with wonderful observations, humor, and characters, yet his struggles with narrative and plot are particularly problematic in this novel. I am struggling to finish it. Highly unusual for me. Fans will enjoy Rushdie's writing. Those who haven't read Rushdie would be better served reading any of his other books!

The story of the Goldens looks into the heart of American society today, and what the American dream means, for immigrants and Americans alike, in an age of rising inequality, xenophobia and overwhelming social strife - Rushdie's eye is bereft of the filters of the opinionated, and his take on both Indian and US socio-political realities feels accurate, with only a few small niggles here and there. Overall, a brilliant story, made even better by the author's narrative genius.

As a typical Rushdie novel, this book is a brilliant literary showcase. This is not a political satire. Don't go by the description of the book. Sure, it's set around the American elections of 2016 but that's just a thread on the sideline. This is the story of a family that's shrouded in mystery. The characters are intriguing. The plot is not too difficult to follow like some other Rushdie novels. However, the language is absolutely beautiful. The mood throughout the book is fluid. Sometimes gay and sometimes sombre. That's Rushdie playing with the reader. Overall, I'd highly recommend this book for Rushdie fans. Definitely not for someone looking for a political satire.

Sometimes a book is not just about an original story, per se, (of which this novel does not disappoint), but also about the brilliant prose, diction, and literary excellence, evident in droves in The Golden House. There were many instances of let-me-pause-to-give-this-passage-its- due-honorary-silence and even what-an-amazing-way-of-shifting-a-scene (epistolary, monologue, dialogue, you name it). Highly recommended, even amidst the lengthy, melodramatic narrative that grips tightly to almost every page. A yes! Five yeses, actually.

Actual, long, happy ending, dramatic ...... but quite boring actually because it's just more of the same in a different setting. But the prose is sometimes magnificent!

What can one say about this latest work by Rushdie that hasn't been said before about his previous novels? Imaginative story line, references to mythologies, a global perspective on world and regional issues, an outspoken (political) standpoint, and so on. But this time Rushdie does not deal with history and its repercussions in the present only. He takes the reader into a painful whirlpool of our present: the connections between crime and terrorism, the gender conundrums, the elevation of fake news to the level of accepted truths - and, above all, the advent of "the Joker" in US politics and eventually in the White House. It's not easy reading, but rewarding in the extreme.

I hesitated to buy this, as I'd been less than impressed with last offering or two and there are a lot of negative reviews from critics and on here. Finally I was persuaded by a review on here titled "His best since Shalimar the Clown", I got it and I really enjoyed it. I couldn't agree more. The prose is so addictive, every sentence is a joy to read, and a very contemporary and up to date setting. It's maybe a bit less highbrow than you would expect, for example when he uses the term "bardo" he explains what it means, I wonder whether his readers need that kind of handholding. On the other hand I counted at least 4 examples of him quoting Paul Simon lyrics which would go straight over your head if you didn't know those songs. Ultimately if you are familiar with his previous books, you need the opinion of someone in the same boat to decide whether this one is worth your time. There's no point paying attention to critics, who are in a world of their own, or first time readers, who might just not like Salman Rushdie's style in the first place. So take it from me it's a return to form.

The Golden House geeft een haarscherpe analyse van het hedendaagse politieke klimaat in de VS, vanuit een cinematografisch perspectief. Daarnaast wordt op humoristische wijze een herkenbaar beeld geschetst van de internetsamenleving, waarin we al onze gevoelens en gedachten met iedereen willen delen. Een aanrader voor iedereen die heeft genoten van The Great Gatsby.

Truly captivating. Amazingly written with the usual intensity if expression, Salman Rushdie is known for. A must read for all Salman fans.

La historia engancha desde el principio y además es un buen análisis de la sociedad americana en la última década.