The Golden House - By Salman Rushdie - Book Review

So used to reading casually written novels by upcoming Indian authors in the recent past, that The Golden House was a much needed break from those. The Golden House was definitely not a quick read you can just skim through. There are so many details on each page, to be absorbed. And I am no language expert, so quite a few new words too!

I always love novels which include real life incidents, like this book does - Like the terror attacks in Mumbai for instance or election of a new president of America. It makes you relate to the plot more somehow. The story of Nero Golden is one of a kind, all the past history and his and his sons' life is gripping and has such a movie feel to it!

I love the first person narrative of the neighbour René as he calls himself, and I think you need to grab a copy and read the book for yourself to know what it all really is about. The rave reviews for this novel is enough to compel anyone to read it.

I was one of the lucky ones to receive a copy before the official release of the book, and kudos to Salman Rushdie for this epic saga!


About The Golden House
A modern American epic set against the panorama of contemporary politics and culture—a hurtling, page-turning mystery that is equal parts The Great Gatsby and The Bonfire of the Vanities

On the day of Barack Obama’s inauguration, an enigmatic billionaire from foreign shores takes up residence in the architectural jewel of “the Gardens,” a cloistered community in New York’s Greenwich Village. The neighborhood is a bubble within a bubble, and the residents are immediately intrigued by the eccentric newcomer and his family. Along with his improbable name, untraceable accent, and unmistakable whiff of danger, Nero Golden has brought along his three adult sons: agoraphobic, alcoholic Petya, a brilliant recluse with a tortured mind; Apu, the flamboyant artist, sexually and spiritually omnivorous, famous on twenty blocks; and D, at twenty-two the baby of the family, harboring an explosive secret even from himself. There is no mother, no wife; at least not until Vasilisa, a sleek Russian expat, snags the septuagenarian Nero, becoming the queen to his king—a queen in want of an heir.

Our guide to the Goldens’ world is their neighbor René, an ambitious young filmmaker. Researching a movie about the Goldens, he ingratiates himself into their household. Seduced by their mystique, he is inevitably implicated in their quarrels, their infidelities, and, indeed, their crimes. Meanwhile, like a bad joke, a certain comic-book villain embarks upon a crass presidential run that turns New York upside-down.

Set against the strange and exuberant backdrop of current American culture and politics, The Golden House also marks Salman Rushdie’s triumphant and exciting return to realism. The result is a modern epic of love and terrorism, loss and reinvention—a powerful, timely story told with the daring and panache that make Salman Rushdie a force of light in our dark new age.