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Book Review: Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights

Updated: Feb 7, 2023

Salman Rushdie gives us a modern-day wink at the Arabian Nights [+ Linked author interview]


Book Cover: States Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights: A Novel. New York Times Bestselling Author. The book cover is a navy blue with a white-smoke swirling in the middle. The Title and author's name are written over the smoke. What appears to be an abstract stroke of lightening hovers below the smoke and is shooting towards a small silhouetted person at the bottom of the book. The person is featureless and merely standing. They are yellow in color.

Released: September 2015

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

Pages: 304

Audiobook Length: 11 hours (approx.)


Awards/Acclaim


New York Times Bestseller


Named one of the best books of the year by:


  • The Washington Post

  • Los Angeles Times

  • San Francisco Chronicle

  • Harper’s Bazaar

  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch

  • The Guardian

  • The Kansas City Star

  • National Post

  • BookPage

  • Kirkus Reviews


Review


This book belongs in the halls of academia to be studied relentlessly for its many references, allusions, nuance, and allegories. It deserves to be parsed, analyzed, and debated.


The length of time noted in the title Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights (TYEMTN) is a nod to the Arabian Nights. I am convinced, much like in Arabian Nights, that Rushdie managed to lay out 1,000 stories within TYEMTN.


TYEMTN is multi-layered, cerebral, and a remarkable literary achievement.


I will say that it did take about 1/5th of the book before I was invested and became adjusted to the rhythm of the story. It is a complex tale that spans considerable distances of time. Additionally, due to the nature of the narrator, there isn't much time spent on character dialogue or internal thoughts.


This is not your everyday read. It is an info-dense, apocalyptic fantasy, laced with legends, lore, symbolism, and philosophy. And, ultimately, the question of the nature of God and man.


Plot


A jinnia by the name of Dunia falls in love with the 12th-century philosopher Ibn Rushd. They have a substantial number of children together. The story fast-forwards to the near future and a great storm has struck New York City. This is the beginning of the strangeness; a time when the jinn are easily able to enter our own.


A number of peculiar occurrences begin to happen. A gardener finds that his feet no longer touch the ground. An abandoned baby detects, and physically marks, the corrupt. And a graphic novelist awakens to a mysterious entity that resembles his own sub–Stan Lee creation.


Dunia returns to the realm of man and gathers her part-jinn part-human descendants to wage a war of the worlds against the malevolent jinn inhabiting our own.


Additional Comments


You can read an excerpt from the book here.


About the Author


Sir Salman Rushdie is an individual of formidable intellect. He's a smart man's smart man. His literary accomplishments are as long as a CVS receipt. He has written well over a dozen novels and has a new book being released in early 2023.


Rushdie is as impressive to listen to as he is to read - a brilliant and humorous thought-leader. You can hear him discuss Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, life, society, and culture in the interview below. Side note: There are some minor spoilers.



Content Warnings

  • Adult Themes

  • Incest

  • Mention of Sexual Violence

  • Violence


 

Verdict


Score: 9.25/10


This is not a light read. While the book is relatively short, it is layered with stories, stirring remarks, and thick with cultural gems.


Pick it up at your library, local bookstore, or favorite online retailer.

 






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