Golden House, The (HB)

Rushdie’s 13th novel follows a young American filmmaker whose involvement with a secretive, tragedy-haunted family teaches him how to become a man. Invoking literature, pop culture, and the cinema, Rushdie spins the story of the American zeitgeist over the last eight years, hitting every beat: from the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2008 up to current and recent political and social events, including the birther movement, the rise of the Tea Party, Gamergate and identity politics; the backlash against political correctness; the ascendency of the superhero movie, and, of course, the insurgence of a ruthlessly ambitious, narcissistic, media-savvy villain wearing make-up and with coloured hair. In The Golden House, as entertaining as it is poignant, Rushdie has written a revelatory panorama of our time. It is the ultimate novel about identity, truth, terror and lies and a new world order of alternate truths.