I fully enjoyed delving into Rushdie outside of the realm of the fanciful and mythological. This one to me was much more reminiscent of his nonfiction about going underground to avoid the Fatwa that was brought against him as opposed to his magical works which tend to blend the real and unreal. Gripping story. Humorous turns. Germane topics and allusions. I'd definitely pass this one on to a friend. Recommended!!!

This novel was well written enough to impress me with its commentary against bigotry before then frustrating me with trivialising it as political correctness, amidst an interesting story.

"The Golden House" exceeded my expectations. I was a little 'ho hum' for the first 10% to 12% percent. Once introduced to the character Petya, the oldest son in 'The Golden Family', the storytelling kept soaring.
I was immediately pulled in to the personality profiles of each of Nero Golden's three son's.

Petya, is considered high on the autism spectrum. I was especially interested in
the behaviors of Petya because my husband and I had guest staying with us last week who either had austism or we suspected Asperger's. It was a challenge and experience for us last week. Our guest was in town for a virtual reality symposium. He was exactly the way Petya is described: extraordinary, vulnerable, gifted, and an incompetent human being. "He was physically clumsy, and sometimes, when agitated, clumsy to the mouth, stammering and stuttering and being infuriated by his own ineptitude".
Petya prefer to stay indoors -just like our guest -perhaps borderline agoraphobic.
If you asked Petya direct question he would answer honestly because his brain made it impossible for him to lie....
"Yet out of loyalty to his father's wishes he managed to find a way. He trained himself in locutions of avoidance, "I will not answer that question", or "maybe you should ask someone else". At age 42.... there were parts of Petya that would always remain a child. I was fascinated with Petya.....

But....

Then we meet his brother, one year younger in 'age'. Their birthdays are less than 12 months apart. Lucius Apuleius, a.k.a. Apu. is 41 -- a Gemini horsescope like his older brother Petya.
Apu was unsympathetic to his older brothers issues. A very different type of person in every shape and form. He was a gifted painter - considered technically as great as Dali. Many of the New York ladies were happy to undress for him.... and soon after his first solo show he became a famous artist.

"America changed them both, Petya and Apu--America, that divided self--polarizing them as America was polarized, the wars of America, external and internal, becoming their wars as well; but in the beginning, if Petya arrived in New York as a heavy
-drinking polymath who was afraid of the world and found living in it a constant hardship, then Apu came as the sober romantic artist and promiscuous metropolitan, flirting with everything that was visionary yet with a clarity of vision that allowed him to see people plain as his portraits showed".

The youngest son is named D. D is 22 years old... he feels like the odd one out child - has dealt with loneliness -feels like a misfit in his own skin. He's withholding a secret from his family.

Rene is a young filmmaker - around mid 20's - young with energy and ambition. He
weasels himself- very smoothly into the Golden family. He wants to make a film about their family. As a significant and subtle character - he never overshadows the turn of events - he guides them subtly.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt nostalgic for those early days when we first learned Barack Obama became President. I remember the hope - the pride - the joy .....
then the sadness which hit me as I read "The Golden House". I'm sure I didn't understand every single thing - Salman Rushdie is a challenging author to read ....but I was sincerely engaged. I laughed out loud many times. I was in 'aw' at Rushdie's brilliance other times.
I ended with 'sitting'...... sitting in a chair for 20 minutes- alone - quiet .... eyes watering..... just 'thinking'.
This is our world right now ---animated, theatrical- nutty - scary - confusing - with many people most comfortable isolating in their homes---while others are flamboyant outlandish socially active in the arts - sports -politics- and community. Love, fear, anger, hate... we live with it all. It's a sad beautiful world!

Enduring storytelling!!! This is Rushdie's best book since "Midnight Children".

Thank You Random House, Netgalley, and Salman Rushdie

Thank you Net Galley. This is one of Rushdie's best books. I enjoyed the story and its telling very much. I loved the story, interwoven with observations on life, the breadth of the novel and the characters. Reading it, I was amazed at how well Rushdie had captured the contemporary world, quite prescient. A must read.