Sitting down to read the first page of Salman Rushdie’s new novel, Victory City, I noticed I heaved a sign of relief.
Having read several of his books over the years, I know he will give me a solid piece of storytelling, rich, expansive and unexpected.
That is not to say that he will make it easy to stomach.
Only a few pages in, a gruesome description of tragedy sets the stage for his imagination to take flight.
His protagonist is Pampa Kampana, whom we first meet as a young girl, scarred so deep by death that she creates a whole city to ease her pain.
An amazing story follows, filled with magical moments of marvel, but also earthy characters brimming with flaws and folly.
One of the aspects of Rushdie’s tales that I most enjoy is that even in the curlier corners of his creativity, he leaves space to deliver funny moments that keep me entertained.
One of the novel’s many strengths is Rushdie’s ability to build a fully formed world that is both magical and tangible.
He plunges into grimy, unwashed humanity and then soars into lush prose teeming with allegorical subtext.
A mesmerising tale that will leave you pondering long after you turn the last page.
This novel is Rushdie at his best — bawdy, tarnished tales of beautiful humanity.
Reviewed by Simon Henderson
