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A review by gorecki
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie
3.0
When I first stumbled upon the news of Salman Rushdie publishing a new novel a couple of years ago, I was psyched. I've always loved Rushdie's magical realism and his unparalleled storytelling. But once I read it's a story about a dynasty of jinns roaming the earth, and of a war between the jinn and the human world, my excitement swiftly died. Up until a friend of mine picked it as a buddy-read book.
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights is a multilayered read, not only because of the myriad of characters and the many segments of modern life which Rushdie delves into with this story, but also because of its rich cultural and historical bearings and messages regarding war, peace, and cultural diversity. If you've ever read Rushdie, you surely know that his books are never only about the story he's telling. They also contain an incredible amount of balanced and intelligent observations regarding the world, different cultures, and their historical development. In this magical tale of jinns and war of the worlds, for example, Rushdie introduces the destructive effects religion (any religion) can have on morals, humanity, and culture. It shows how a playful and mischievous group, not interested in politics and dominance in the least, can suddenly become blood-thirsty and destructive, while believing in being righteous and entitled.
A XII century philosopher's ashes wake to life and start speaking of God, religion, and the importance of fear. The Ifrits, jinns too busy with their games, eventful sex lives, and practical jokes stop to listen, and after misinterpreting the word of this philosopher from centuries ago, all hell breaks loose. The earth is threatened, there is destruction and misery everywhere, and the world is almost coming to an end. That is until Dunia, princess of the jinns, and her earthly children of different backgrounds, cultures, and religions, unite to put an end to it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of this book. Salman Rushdie's humor and intelligence lights up every page in the first few chapters and brings joy with it's language, wittiness, and vivid imagination. I've always been fascinated by his ability to write of a topic such as jinns, fairies, and flying carpets in a modern setting, without making it sound like a complete disaster. My buddy-reading friend (MKS) and I bought agreed that in the hands of any other author, this book would have been a complete disaster. However, as I'm not a fan of fantasy, I did feel that once this story left our world and moved into the world of the fairies and jinns, it lost its strength and charm. I caught myself reading it out of respect for the first half of the book, and in order to see how it all ends. Its anti-war messages and the portrayal of book- and prophet-based religions from centuries ago were indeed very appropriate and important, and I couldn't have agreed with them more, but in all honesty, I believe they could have had a much greater impact had they been conveyed with a slightly different story. One situated a bit closer to the ground.
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights is a multilayered read, not only because of the myriad of characters and the many segments of modern life which Rushdie delves into with this story, but also because of its rich cultural and historical bearings and messages regarding war, peace, and cultural diversity. If you've ever read Rushdie, you surely know that his books are never only about the story he's telling. They also contain an incredible amount of balanced and intelligent observations regarding the world, different cultures, and their historical development. In this magical tale of jinns and war of the worlds, for example, Rushdie introduces the destructive effects religion (any religion) can have on morals, humanity, and culture. It shows how a playful and mischievous group, not interested in politics and dominance in the least, can suddenly become blood-thirsty and destructive, while believing in being righteous and entitled.
A XII century philosopher's ashes wake to life and start speaking of God, religion, and the importance of fear. The Ifrits, jinns too busy with their games, eventful sex lives, and practical jokes stop to listen, and after misinterpreting the word of this philosopher from centuries ago, all hell breaks loose. The earth is threatened, there is destruction and misery everywhere, and the world is almost coming to an end. That is until Dunia, princess of the jinns, and her earthly children of different backgrounds, cultures, and religions, unite to put an end to it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of this book. Salman Rushdie's humor and intelligence lights up every page in the first few chapters and brings joy with it's language, wittiness, and vivid imagination. I've always been fascinated by his ability to write of a topic such as jinns, fairies, and flying carpets in a modern setting, without making it sound like a complete disaster. My buddy-reading friend (MKS) and I bought agreed that in the hands of any other author, this book would have been a complete disaster. However, as I'm not a fan of fantasy, I did feel that once this story left our world and moved into the world of the fairies and jinns, it lost its strength and charm. I caught myself reading it out of respect for the first half of the book, and in order to see how it all ends. Its anti-war messages and the portrayal of book- and prophet-based religions from centuries ago were indeed very appropriate and important, and I couldn't have agreed with them more, but in all honesty, I believe they could have had a much greater impact had they been conveyed with a slightly different story. One situated a bit closer to the ground.