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A review by hlblng
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is my third Rushdie book and it is definitely my favourite so far. I went in knowing absolutely nothing about the plot except that it got Rushdie a death sentence in the form of a fatwa. And after getting through the first 2ish extremely confusing pages I was totally on board.
Something I cherish about all his books is his unique writing style. It's a really challenging read, hard to understand at times, and I had to use my translator more than a few times for some words I had never heard in English before, but when you are prepared to weather that storm it is a joy to read. Extremely funny at times, but never vulgar in the way you might fear it to be, wonderfully sentimental in sad moments and for me a joy to read in moments where our main characters struggled immensely with themselves. There is an about 2 page long analysis of the book within the book towards the end of it, which was absolutely delightful to read.
I loved the story and the many convoluted sub-plots where you were never really sure what was real and what wasn't and how exactly everything will go together. And I really like Saladin Camcha, the main character. He was exactly the kind of protagonist I would hope to get from a novel like that. By no means a good man, a deeply troubled character with so many issues to work through, who has a good many faults he has to overcome, and still someone that you feel you can understand. Someone that is made human despite all their flaws, because the world is not black and white.The last chapter of the book of him returning to his hometown Bombay, was quite an emotional read.
My only criticism is that I wish Salman Rushdie would somehow write better female characters. His male characters are so well- rounded and so human, but that is a quality I find lacking in many of the female characters, as they are seemingly always protrayed in relation to some man. They never quite stand on their own, the way the men in this novel do.
Something I cherish about all his books is his unique writing style. It's a really challenging read, hard to understand at times, and I had to use my translator more than a few times for some words I had never heard in English before, but when you are prepared to weather that storm it is a joy to read. Extremely funny at times, but never vulgar in the way you might fear it to be, wonderfully sentimental in sad moments and for me a joy to read in moments where our main characters struggled immensely with themselves. There is an about 2 page long analysis of the book within the book towards the end of it, which was absolutely delightful to read.
I loved the story and the many convoluted sub-plots where you were never really sure what was real and what wasn't and how exactly everything will go together. And I really like Saladin Camcha, the main character. He was exactly the kind of protagonist I would hope to get from a novel like that. By no means a good man, a deeply troubled character with so many issues to work through, who has a good many faults he has to overcome, and still someone that you feel you can understand. Someone that is made human despite all their flaws, because the world is not black and white.
My only criticism is that I wish Salman Rushdie would somehow write better female characters. His male characters are so well- rounded and so human, but that is a quality I find lacking in many of the female characters, as they are seemingly always protrayed in relation to some man. They never quite stand on their own, the way the men in this novel do.