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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma
Graphic description of eye trauma
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I feel a little ashamed that this is the first I'v read of Mr Rushdie's books, but I suppose the Satanic verses debacle took place while I was an infant. However, now that ive read about his experience and views in his voice, im curious to read his fictional, literary voice. The descriptions of his attack and the recovery were visceral and well painted, if painful. His reflections on the love of his family, friends, his network and privilege were warm and at times attempted self-effacement, still the high regard in which he holds himself comes through v clearly. Especially when he shares words from his famous friends and family praising him. However, given his fame and the prolific nature of his writing, you can't really blame him some hubris. (Though the long passage on his imagined conversation with his attacker felt particularly self-indulgent though again maybe id do the same if someone tried to stab me). It is extreme that a man tried to kill him for what he believed he represented or threatened to the followers of extremist Islam, all because of one book he wrote. His reponse is thus understandable. His writing is engaging, sombre, funny, profound and sad. And, as a writer, I can only expect him to process a life threatening experience in this way. Now I shall turn myself to his books.
emotional
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4 stars
I thought this was quite an interesting book because it was very focused and obviously about something that was deeply traumatic. I found this book quite interesting mostly because of the way he describes his medical care and recovery after such a physically and mentally traumatizing experience. The way he describes his doctors and the ways he felt in each step were very insightful and honest. Also azithromycin causing AKI mention!
I also think how he wrote his potential responses to his attacker were very well thought out without sacrificing his indignation that he felt the attack was very unfair. His musings about religion and what problems he had with it were also quite insightful. At the end of the day he is a beautiful writer.
I think given the extremity of the physical experience the short time frame this was written in didn't detract too much and he wrote as candidly as possible. Also, it seems that he was not able to move on from it without putting it in writing which is very valid so I thought it worked well regardless.
I thought this was quite an interesting book because it was very focused and obviously about something that was deeply traumatic. I found this book quite interesting mostly because of the way he describes his medical care and recovery after such a physically and mentally traumatizing experience. The way he describes his doctors and the ways he felt in each step were very insightful and honest. Also azithromycin causing AKI mention!
I also think how he wrote his potential responses to his attacker were very well thought out without sacrificing his indignation that he felt the attack was very unfair. His musings about religion and what problems he had with it were also quite insightful. At the end of the day he is a beautiful writer.
I think given the extremity of the physical experience the short time frame this was written in didn't detract too much and he wrote as candidly as possible. Also, it seems that he was not able to move on from it without putting it in writing which is very valid so I thought it worked well regardless.
KNIFE is Salman Rushdie’s account of surviving the 2022 stabbing attack and his recovery in the months that followed.
Ok... let's get right into this.
I found parts of the book really hard to connect with. Rushdie is oddly cagey about some key details, like calling the person who may have saved his life "the Thumb" instead of learning (or at least sharing) their name. That struck me as impersonal and dismissive.
"The owner of the thumb kept introducing himself to anyone who would listen. He was a retired fireman, he said. His name was Mark Perez. Or might it have been Matt Perez"
For a memoir so rooted in survival and human connection, moments like that felt emotionally distant.
At times, it didn’t feel like a memoir about survival at all. Rushdie seems to try really hard to be relatable, complaining about house repairs?? Saying that he's taking on speaking gigs to cover expenses, despite being a millionaire many times over, all the while casually name dropping, and complaining about his expensive suits being ruined (Don't worry guys, he got a NEW expensive suit). That disconnect pulled me out of the emotional side of the book.
There are glimpses of something powerful here, moments when Rushdie reflects on the sheer absurdity and horror of the attack, and the love that helped pull him through, but they're buried under ego driven meanderings that left me feeling more detached than moved.
Ok... let's get right into this.
I found parts of the book really hard to connect with. Rushdie is oddly cagey about some key details, like calling the person who may have saved his life "the Thumb" instead of learning (or at least sharing) their name. That struck me as impersonal and dismissive.
"The owner of the thumb kept introducing himself to anyone who would listen. He was a retired fireman, he said. His name was Mark Perez. Or might it have been Matt Perez"
For a memoir so rooted in survival and human connection, moments like that felt emotionally distant.
At times, it didn’t feel like a memoir about survival at all. Rushdie seems to try really hard to be relatable, complaining about house repairs?? Saying that he's taking on speaking gigs to cover expenses, despite being a millionaire many times over, all the while casually name dropping, and complaining about his expensive suits being ruined (Don't worry guys, he got a NEW expensive suit). That disconnect pulled me out of the emotional side of the book.
There are glimpses of something powerful here, moments when Rushdie reflects on the sheer absurdity and horror of the attack, and the love that helped pull him through, but they're buried under ego driven meanderings that left me feeling more detached than moved.
dark
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
This book was very beautifully written. I must confess I knew nothing of Salman Rushdie before this book and after obviously as it's written in his perspective I find him a very sympathetic protagonist. I thought how he described Eliza was very interesting, as she seemed almost mythical in his descriptions. Even when she struggled the was he described it seemed almost like a characterisation rather than a description of what happened. The book was a very good reflection on the price of a life and importance of free speech and how although this ideal has been politicised it remains important for everyone. Finally, I found the intertextual references to be a little pompous but I think that's to be expected from someone whose job it is to write.