The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
Quichotte – Salman Rushdie
READ FOR BOOKERTHON
A modern re-write of Don Quixote that broaches traditional elements as well as the current state of the world.
⚑ “Confession time: I have not read Don Quixote. While I know the premise I don’t know its intricates nor how cleverly Rushdie has played upon them in Quichotte. But I imagine quite well. Confession number 2: I have never finished a Rushdie book. So I was thrilled to discover how readable and enjoyable Quichotte was, despite the sometimes absurdist occurrences and delusional ramblings.
“The main character, an old man named Quichotte and his imaginary son, Sancho, traverse a United States that is in moral decline and encounter racists, opioid-addicted celebrities, people who turn into mastodons, crickets who speak Italian and guns that talk. They watch copious amounts of telly and trash Trump. During their travels they address all the big ticket items: racism, media, politics, addiction, greed … serious stuff but actually the book is quite funny. Plus also weird, poignant and annoying. But the world is these things. And so are people. Story telling and literary references are rife, tying together all the abstract ideas. Despite, or perhaps because of, all this craziness, I really enjoyed this book and I think the characters will stay with me for some time.” – Rachel
… to live inside fictions created by untruths or the withholding of actual truths. Maybe human life was truly fictional in this sense, that those who lived it didn’t understand it wasn’t real.
⚑ “Before this year’s Bookerthon got underway I boldly stated there was NO WAY I was going to read Quichotte due to having absolutely no success with reading other Salman Rushdie books. However, Rach gently persuaded me and I decided to give it a go.
“I’m so pleased I did as it was a damn good read! I enjoyed the book-within-a-book structure and the parallels between the two stories. I have read other reviews of Quichotte that said it was a bit too silly, but I was all for the silliness. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to give Midnight’s Children another crack.” – Suzy
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Published 2019
Jonathan Cape
393 pages
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