“Knife”, by Salman Rushdie is not a recently published book I would have chosen to read right now. If ever. However, my Changing Hands book club selected it to read for our meeting in two weeks.
It should be an interesting discussion.The theme is topical: the murder of a public figure. The recent couple of decades have brought to light numerous attempts and protective measures to guard against such actions.
In the case of Knife, we have a minute-by-minute action recounting of what led to the numerous blows that were rained onto the person of author, Salman Rushdie, the author most famous for his luminary 1988 novel. The Satanic Verses. Perhaps strangest is the time lapse between that novel’s publication and the actions that almost took Rushdie’s life.
Knife is a memoire and an eye-witness account by the man who survived the ordeal of his own attempted murder. The book works best in its opening episodes and Rushdie’s survival. It is interesting as it recaptures his return to the scene of the crime. It is least interesting in interviews with the would-be murderer.
I look forward to the discussion by my book club. Racism and all that has intervened since 1988 will certainly play a part.
Flaneuse 