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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Some violence; the plane explosion; the surreal violence of Gibreel's visions
Language
A lot
Strong language throughout
Sexual Content
Some
Adult relationships and some sexual content
Substance Use
Barely any
Some substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The psychological intensity of religious identity questioned at its foundations; the surreal horror of Gibreel's divine/demonic transformation
What this book is about
Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha fall from an exploded plane over the English Channel and survive, transformed. One becomes angelic, one devilish—and their experiences in England and in Gibreel's increasingly apocalyptic visions form Rushdie's incendiary meditation on identity, immigration, religion, and the nature of goodness and evil. The novel's sections imagining the Prophet Mohammed's life triggered a fatwa from Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989. A masterwork of postmodern fiction that demands and rewards serious engagement.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Sections depicting the Prophet Mohammed that caused the Rushdie fatwa
Challenging religious content throughout
Strong language and adult themes
Reader Verification
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