Shame by Salman Rushdie. His style is somewhat difficult to follow, but very insightful and engrossing once you slow down and concentrate.
Have you read "The Satanic Verses" by Rushdie?
For those who don't know, Rushdie is one of the most controversial writers of our times. His style has been called "magical realism", and his 1988 book 'Satanic Verses' nearly got him killed by Islamic fatwa and he went into hiding. The Satanic Verses were written by Mohammed to be included in the Quran, but because they prescribe prayer to pagan gods, muslim followers began rejecting what was written by a "prophet of God". To get out of the uproar, it was put forth Mohammed wrotes those verses because he was somehow under the influence of Satan, hence, 'Satanic Verses'.
From Wikipedia:
..."The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters. The title refers to the satanic verses, a group of Quranic verses that allow intercessory prayers to be made to three Pagan Meccan goddesses: Allāt, Uzza, and Manāt.[1] The part of the story that deals with the "satanic verses" was based on accounts from the historians al-Waqidi and al-Tabari.[1]
In the United Kingdom, The Satanic Verses received positive reviews, was a 1988 Booker Prize finalist (losing to Peter Carey's Oscar and Lucinda) and won the 1988 Whitbread Award for novel of the year.[2] However, major controversy ensued as Muslims accused it of blasphemy and mocking their faith. The outrage among Muslims resulted in a fatwā calling for Rushdie's death issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Supreme Leader of Iran, on 14 February 1989. The result was several failed assassination attempts on Rushdie, who was placed under police protection, and attacks on several connected individuals such as translator Hitoshi Igarashi (leading, in Igarashi's case, to death)"..
I've only read the one. I agree on difficulty of style, but after I got accustomed to the cadence of the translator's work, it's ok.
So Rushdie can and does drill right down to the core of what should be serious social and/or religious issues. Gonna have to try him again.
Will 'Shame' be the book to get?