whosemuse 's review for:

The Golden House by Salman Rushdie

3.0

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This was my first experience with Salman Rushdie, so I don't know how typical it is, as far as the language and prose style. There were many things to like in this story, not least the mystery of its realness or fictionality. The narrator, Rene, is a filmmaker, whose interest -- obsession, really -- is Nero Golden, a wealthy immigrant, and his sons. The Roman names invoke a sense of epic, reinforced by their rarefied position of extreme privilege, albeit shaded in some dodgy business in their country of origin. But despite their mythical names, these men are merely human, and they are subject to the pitfalls of life just like every other mortal man. What kept me interested, beyond the sweeping scope of the story, was not knowing how much was real, and how much was part of the story Rene was weaving. He admits several times that some details are embellished, in the name of drama, and at times it seems he can't actually remember which parts have really happened and which parts he has made up. In the end the main theme is the love and devotion of fathers to sons, and it all winds up feeling a bit prosaic, not quite living up to its promise or my expectations.