East, West - Salman Rushdie

[Louis Walles]

Title of the book: East, West
Authors: Salman Rushdie
Genres: Adventure, Fiction
A short summary of the story:


This book is a collection of short stories which give the reader an idea of what could happen if the East met West. All stories are different and require focus and creativity. Inside the book, you can read a story about a driver who writes letters home describing his film star career in Bombay, or a story about a woman and one and only Muhammad Ali. Other stories involve a love relationship in the middle 60s in London or best friends who live out fantasies hatched by Star Trek. There is even a story about Christoper Columbus and his relationship with Queen Isabella!
With one foot in the East and one foot in the West, this collection reveals the oceanic distances and the unexpected intimacies between the two.

Good points / bad points:

I did like the book because it allowed me to look through someone else's eyes. Some of the stories were fascinating and quite fun to read such as 'The Courter' (which is one of the longest stories from the book) because of its simplicity. I also find that story quite interesting due to the way the relationship between characters has been portrayed. However, I think the book itself is rather difficult to read due to the language used in the book which is rather fancy. Also, not all stories were interesting enough for me, some included romantic theme, such as heartbreaks, or long term relationships (which is not my favourite theme). Although, I liked the fact that some stories were set in the past and involved a lot of travelling around the world. It allowed me to better understand the cultural differences between now and then. Generally, I recommend this book; I think it's an interesting piece of work written in a unique way which brings a sense of nostalgia.