Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Shalimar the clown is a story of love, betrayal and complex relationships. A major part of the story is set in the backdrop of beautiful Kashmir. It starts at a time when Kashmir's beauty was at its peak and gradually paints a horrific picture of fall of the 'paradise on earth' with the onset of militancy. As the carefree life of Shalimar and Boonyi takes a twist from an innocent love story to a strong hate saga, so turns Kashmir from nature's haven to a battlefield. The book touches the sensitive issue of Kashmir that had left numerous people dead and homeless and cut off the state from the rest of the country. The fall of Kashmiri is heart wrenching as seen from the author's eye and one can feel the pain of Kashmiris with the fall of Pachigan.

All the characters in the book are very strong and well carved out, so much so as the sections in the book are named after them . They are not good or bad, but very human with shades of both. There are stages in the story where one hates them, but others where one can't help but sympathize with them . It is a story of ambition of 1 person destroying the lives of many. It is the story of people losing their sanity in repentance. It is the story of a girl coming to terms with her biological origin.

The book has Rushdie's characteristic flamboyant narrative with the most complex vocabulary thrown around. This makes it a rich, literary delight, albeit making it difficult to touch the chords with some readers. It does reiterate why Rushdie is one of the great authors of the time.

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