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Feb 19, 2018JLMason rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
An eminent author like Salman Rushdie writes books to tell more than just a story. So why did he write this book? The author is an expatriate Indian now living in New York. The Golden House is a tale about the devolution of the United States from a time of false hope with the election of Barack Obama to the horror of the new Joker president who represents the debasement of common decency and the depreciation of knowledge and learning. There are many themes: reinvention of self, excessive navel gazing in search of “identity", the corrupting influence of Russia, movies as better representations of and escape from reality, the attack on free speech, celebration of the vulgar and bizarre. Rushdie’s dismay at what is happening in his adopted country runs throughout the book. Yet the author clings to hope for the future in the reconciliation, conflagration, and “rebirth” that comes at the end.