On the heels of our October reading of "The Mothers", I'm ready to reveal the next Papyr.us selection. Yaaaay!!!
One of my intentions for this book club is to maintain variety in terms of what we read. For example, we will continue to alternate genres, subject matters, genders of writers, as well as the nationalities of the writers included. With that said, when I saw a newish Salman Rushdie book in Barnes & Noble and glimpsed that it was about djinn, I immediately considered it for the November Papyr.us selection. For one, I like Rushdie's work for its magical realism. I like how he cavorts between fantasy and reality (even if he sometimes loses me with his propensity for saying with fifteen words what he could say with five). Then there is my curiousity about djinn ~ those supernatural beings in Muslim/Arabic folklore} even though I'm typically not keen on studying malevolent spirits. Djinn have inspired many Western re-imaginings (hence the word geenie) but these have usually seemed trite and hollow to me, lacking the persuasiveness that cultural intimacy brings. I've wondered why djinn don't feature more in works of fiction by authors from an Arabic or Muslim background. Maybe, this apparent scarcity is partially due to a stigma within the Islamic world attached to the metamorphic spirits. I suppose it shouldn't be thus surprising that a writer with a reputation for venturing into quite controversial territory would be up to depicting these infamous creatures.
Here's a preview of the Rushdie's tale...
"... Narrated by our descendants 1000 years hence, looking back on "The War of the Worlds" that began with "the time of the strangenesses": a simple gardener begins to levitate; a baby is born with the unnerving ability to detect corruption in people; the ghosts of two long-dead philosophers begin arguing once more; and storms pummel New York so hard that a crack appears in the universe, letting in the destructive djinns of myth (as well as some graphic superheroes). Nothing less than the survival of our world is at stake. Only one, a djinn princess who centuries before had learned to love humankind, resolves to help us: in the face of dynastic intrigue, she raises an army composed of her semi-magical great-great--etc.--grandchildren--a motley crew of endearing characters who come together to save the world in a battle waged for 1,001 nights--or, to be precise, two years, eight months and twenty-eight nights." - Good Reads
Does that pique your interest? I can't wait to here what you think!
You can find hard cover copies of Two Years Eight Months Twenty Eight Nights at Barnes & Noble stores on sale for just $5.99. Soft cover copies and ebooks are available on the Barnes & Noble website. Copies are also available on Amazon. Additionally, I'm giving away a copy to a Papyr.us member!! Enter the giveaway here.
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