I've been wanting to try reading a Salman Rushdie book for a couple of years now, but I just never found the time, and felt the weight of pressure of *needing* to enjoy his books because I'd heard how important they are. I'm pretty annoyed now that I put reading his works off for so long, and I'll definitely be picking up another soon!
Set in post-colonial Pakistan, Shame is a really great example of magical realism done well. We follow the life of the main character Omar Khayyam Shakil, who is born from three sisters who are so close that they all function as his mother, and are pregnant with him simultaneously. They live outside of society, and he never learns who his father is. As he grows older, he trains to become a doctor and meets Iskander Harappa and General Raza Hyder, two other key characters in the story.
The book (as the title implies) is all about shame. Each character embodies shame in the novel, and there's a constant reminder that shame begets violence. One character in particular is born with a deformity and the shame that she feels because of her family's shame in having her forces her into uncontrollable and extreme outbursts of violence. The magical realism blends into the important political lessons and tone of the book, and it really is a work of art.
I would recommend for readers who are fans of Ian McEwan's novels or those who enjoyed The God of Small Things.
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