The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

The Satanic Verses 

By Salman Rushdie 

Shortlisted for Man Booker Prize 1988

Rating 4.5/5🙃😇

Genres : Fantasy,Fiction,Magical Realism, Indian Author.

What a crazy, wild story this has turned out to be!! 

Reading some sections of the book, I was enthralled and speechless at how fantastic it was! Rushdie has combined many folklore and mystical beliefs held by Indians into making some highly creative stories within the main story. 

There are also parts which left me dumbfounded for his overt disrespect and disregard for the teachings of not just Muslims but other religions as well. I think I was over 90 percent into the book and was feeling wonderful and joyous at the humorously witty, magical narrative when he makes fun of a hindu God, Lord Shiva. Being a devout Hindu, I felt outraged. I fully comprehended and understood why this book got so much negative reception upon release in 1988. It was banned by many countries and Iran most of all, issued a fatwa against Rushdie that he went into hiding for around 10 years. He takes a crack at many long held, sacred beliefs of all religions .. he seems like a person who is a walking example of self contradictions .. he seems to be the strongest  believer in the divergence of good/evil(god/demon) and also exemplary non believer(athiest) at the same time. 

I am also being honest when I say that I didn't fully understand all of the story .. like other mystical books I read in the past. For example, the story with Ayesha, a prophetess through whom Gibreel the angel speaks to a village of people .. did she lead them to final salvation or is that a plot to a movie Gibreel makes and acts in? And what about the demarcation between good and evil he has strongly conveyed from the start? How come the "good" and "angelic" Gibreel turns "sour" and consumed with rage and jealousy, kills his girlfriend and later himself? How come the "devilish", "goat horned" Saladin Chamcha gives up all his evil thoughts/intentions/desires and becomes reconciled with his father and his enormous fortune? And what was Rushdie trying to convey to the reader, playing God in both their lives and altering their fates so drastically/ruthless only through using his mighty pen on paper?! 🙄😱

Well, now a little into the story. Gibreel Fahistha is a known Indian movie actor who has gained fame by playing God characters on screen. His parents had died when he was very young and the rich man who took him under his wing showed him plenty of kindness and the boy has turned into an "angel" as a result. On the other hand, Saladin Chamcha, a rich kid who has been poorly treated and humiliated by his sadistic father since childhood abandons his home and country and makes England/London his new home. He takes up roles in theater and gains fame as a voice artist. He tries to fit in with his foreign friends by acting like them and all but .. bitterness in his heart and soul often breaks him and makes him kind of "evil". Both these men meet when traveling on a flight called "Bostan" to London. The flight is hijacked and eventually bombed by terrorists mid air. Everyone dies except for Gibreel and Saladin who fall down to earth and while Gibreel gains something like a halo round his head, Saladin starts growing goat hoofs and horns on his head. Both part ways. Gibreel sees his career go up, his lover comes back to him and he falls into a stream of endless dreams where he is guiding multiple prophets as an archangel of God. Saladin on the other hand, gets arrested, humiliated, his wife cheats on him and he loses his job offers. With everything looking down, he develops a resentment towards Gibreel. Eventually, their paths re-cross and where they both could have harmed the other, they forgive and move on. Both of them come back to India and Saladin patches up with his dying father and inherits a large fortune. Becomes a "good" man. While Gibreel in a jealous rage, kills his girlfriend and then shoots himself to death. He personifies "evil" towards the end. 

Also interesting .. more than these two characters and their fates .. in a dream story of a prophetess Ayesha😍 whom Gibreel guides for a while in success. Then all her predictions turn wrong and people whom she promised a safe passage through a water body drown in it and die. Is this merely a dream or did it happen sometime or is it a movie plot? Whatever it is, I so thoroughly loved this narrative in the book. 🥰🥰

Looking forward to reading his other (in)famous books as well!!! Cheers!! :)