Good Reads / Community Library Notes
The Golden House
Salman Rushdie
Review by Priscilla Comen
The Golden House
Salman Rushdie
Review by Priscilla Comen
The Golden House, by Salman Rushdie, is the fascinating tale of Nero Golden and his three sons: Petya, autistic, Apu, brilliant, and D., transgender. Each has distinct traits that define their characters. The narrator of this tale, Rene, wants to make a movie of the Golden family. They have come to Greenwich Village from an un-named country because of an un-known reason: politics? personal? blackmail? We are left to guess until the end.
Nero marries a gorgeous Russian woman, Vasilisa, who always wins her battles. She convinces Rene to father her child since Nero is too old and unable to produce an heir. Author Rushdie is brilliant at writing satire. He describes the green Joker who is running for election against Super Woman. And again, when D’s girl friend’s father escapes from a New York prison with the help of a married woman. Rushdie takes this from a true incident.
The gardens of the Golden house become the setting for their story-book lives. Nero watches the child, Vespasian, whom he thinks is his, take his first step, speak his first words. Vasilisa says he is “a new sun, a shining prince.” Nero sits with the ashes of his two sons, Abu and D in urns on his desk. Will death strike again as Rene makes his film? Author Rushdie weaves reality with fiction and satire, giving life to this story, and to Rene’s film. Nero explains to D’s girlfriend the story of his past, how evil he was, why he had to leave his country, and his home. The question is can one be both evil and good? Nero was a loving parent and also laundered money for the Mafia. He tells Riya the whole story. Does she tell Rene? Does the green Joker win the election?
Find this and more of Salman Rushdie’s books in the fiction room of your Mendocino Community Library.
Nero marries a gorgeous Russian woman, Vasilisa, who always wins her battles. She convinces Rene to father her child since Nero is too old and unable to produce an heir. Author Rushdie is brilliant at writing satire. He describes the green Joker who is running for election against Super Woman. And again, when D’s girl friend’s father escapes from a New York prison with the help of a married woman. Rushdie takes this from a true incident.
The gardens of the Golden house become the setting for their story-book lives. Nero watches the child, Vespasian, whom he thinks is his, take his first step, speak his first words. Vasilisa says he is “a new sun, a shining prince.” Nero sits with the ashes of his two sons, Abu and D in urns on his desk. Will death strike again as Rene makes his film? Author Rushdie weaves reality with fiction and satire, giving life to this story, and to Rene’s film. Nero explains to D’s girlfriend the story of his past, how evil he was, why he had to leave his country, and his home. The question is can one be both evil and good? Nero was a loving parent and also laundered money for the Mafia. He tells Riya the whole story. Does she tell Rene? Does the green Joker win the election?
Find this and more of Salman Rushdie’s books in the fiction room of your Mendocino Community Library.