Two Indian expatriates, Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha, survive a mid-air plane explosion over the English Channel and undergo startling physical transformations. Farishta begins to manifest the halo of an archangel, while Chamcha grows horns and hooves like a satyr. Their arrival in London triggers a series of dream sequences and hallucinatory narratives that parallel the life of the prophet Muhammad in the fictional city of Jahilia. These subplots examine the transition from polytheism to monotheism through the lens of disputed historical verses, while the contemporary timeline follows the protagonists as they navigate the complexities of identity, assimilation, and moral decay in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain.
This book serves readers interested in post-colonial literature and the psychological friction inherent in migration. It appeals to those who study how religious heritage and secular modernity clash in global cities. Readers finish the text with a technical understanding of magical realism and the ways narrative structures can represent the hybridity of immigrant life. They gain insight into the historical controversies surrounding early Islamic theology and the socio-political tensions of late twentieth-century London.
Deep, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a demanding read.
Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1988
- Language
- EN
