The Golden House: A Novel
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The Golden House: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Salman Rushdie (Author), Vikas Adam (Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 2,146 ratings
Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A modern American epic set against the panorama of contemporary politics and culture—a hurtling, page-turning mystery that is equal parts The Great Gatsby and The Bonfire of the Vanities

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: NPR, PBS, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Financial Times, The Times of India

On the day of Barack Obama’s inauguration, an enigmatic billionaire from foreign shores takes up residence in the architectural jewel of “the Gardens,” a cloistered community in New York’s Greenwich Village. The neighborhood is a bubble within a bubble, and the residents are immediately intrigued by the eccentric newcomer and his family. Along with his improbable name, untraceable accent, and unmistakable whiff of danger, Nero Golden has brought along his three adult sons: agoraphobic, alcoholic Petya, a brilliant recluse with a tortured mind; Apu, the flamboyant artist, sexually and spiritually omnivorous, famous on twenty blocks; and D, at twenty-two the baby of the family, harboring an explosive secret even from himself. There is no mother, no wife; at least not until Vasilisa, a sleek Russian expat, snags the septuagenarian Nero, becoming the queen to his king—a queen in want of an heir.

Our guide to the Goldens’ world is their neighbor René, an ambitious young filmmaker. Researching a movie about the Goldens, he ingratiates himself into their household. Seduced by their mystique, he is inevitably implicated in their quarrels, their infidelities, and, indeed, their crimes. Meanwhile, like a bad joke, a certain comic-book villain embarks upon a crass presidential run that turns New York upside-down.

Set against the strange and exuberant backdrop of current American culture and politics, The Golden House also marks Salman Rushdie’s triumphant and exciting return to realism. The result is a modern epic of love and terrorism, loss and reinvention—a powerful, timely story told with the daring and panache that make Salman Rushdie a force of light in our dark new age.

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  1. Listening Length
    14 hours and 40 minutes
  2. Author
    Salman Rushdie
  3. Narrator
    Vikas Adam
  4. Audible release date
    September 5, 2017
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B074G5WFZK
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 14 hours and 40 minutes
Author Salman Rushdie
Narrator Vikas Adam
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date September 05, 2017
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B074G5WFZK
Best Sellers Rank #160,970 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#344 in Political Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#463 in Satirical Literature & Fiction
#5,856 in Literary Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

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Top reviews from the United States

Tom McGann
5.0 out of 5 stars Xxx
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2024
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Xxx
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billie boyl and his bookishness
4.0 out of 5 stars Global Rushdie
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2023
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Actual, long, happy ending, dramatic ...... but quite boring actually because it's just more of the same in a different setting. But the prose is sometimes magnificent!
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Nancy Brisson or N. L. Brisson
5.0 out of 5 stars Salman Rushdie Comes to America
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2017
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The author of The Golden House, Salman Rushdie, and I have lived through the same decades, but his life has been global and large; mine provincial and small. Mr. Rushdie was born in Mumbai, however his influences were both British and Indian. Everyone remembers that he lived in fear of his life as a Muslim under a fatwa because of his book, The Satanic Verses.

In The Golden House, Rushdie writes as a New Yorker. He tells a tale of a Mumbai family, hiding with new identities, under a mysterious veil of danger in New York City. Our narrator is a young American man raised by professorial and loving parents on the edges of the MacDougal-Sullivan Gardens. (They’re real, look it up.) The Golden family lives at the other end of the Gardens and these recent arrivals are endlessly fascinating to René, the son of Gabe and Darcy.

The Goldens were “reborn” when they left Mumbai to live in America with their adopted Roman names. The father claimed the name of Nero, with all its end-of-empire symbolism. His first son took the name Petronius, the second chose Lucius Apuleius (Apu) and the third became Dionysus or D. The names were perhaps a bad idea.

René had always wanted to be a film maker but his life seems too prosaic until it becomes entangled in the low key, but rather tragic, lives of this family with no mother and, seemingly, no past. This novel is, among other things, an homage to great movies/films – European, Hollywood, Bollywood. Salman Rushdie, bursting still with crackling intellectual energy pulls into his story references to the movies he has loved, the same movies we love, except for a few so highbrow they may never have been available in the hinterlands I have inhabited. These movies still live vividly in his prodigious memory and in the minds of many a film buff.

As the Golden family comes apart, because you really cannot escape the past, a politician known as the Joker, guess who, a clownish grafter, is running for the American Presidency. (The parallels between American Democracy and the fall of Rome are hardly subtle.) As we know the Joker wins the election.

This is a very readable novel, without the Muslim/Indian baseline which is foreign to most Americans and makes some Rushdie novels seem somewhat dense. The Golden House is a tour de force by a man who is comfortable in cultures around the globe and does not mind splashing around in his literary bona fides for our enjoyment. Eliot’s “Prufrock” and Shakespeare get cameos among the films – “I grow old, I grow old, I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.” Not yet, Mr. Rushdie, not yet.

Those of us who are shell-shocked with worry for American Democracy can find some comfort in the decision this British/Indian man made to put on his New York/American persona in order to help us through these chaotic days (and nights, and months, and years). What began as a comedy could easily become a classical tragedy. However, I think you will read this tragedy with a great big old smile on your face (at least some of the time).
24 people found this helpful
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Jamie
3.0 out of 5 stars Great book *at first* but not for long - incredibly hard to get through
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2017
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Let me preface this by saying that I am an avid reader. Also, it's an important part of my review for you to know that I have two graduate degrees, both in technical fields but from universities that required me to obtain a well-rounded education, including completing courses in literature. Thirdly, I love Rushdie (and his political views, if you see the political views in the story - some do but some don't). That said, this book was amazing at first. I loved it. But the constant insertions of French and pieces of high-brow culture that Rushdie seems to be using to develop the characters make the book into a foreign language for me. After the first five or ten percent of the book, I began wading through thick, long sentences for another ten to fifteen percent - a very large portion of the book. I kept pushing myself to keep reading but it went on for far too long with not much else happening other than high-brow people in "the gardens" - well, whatever. Not my style, maybe? I couldn't get very far in the book and I wish I hadn't spent the money.
One person found this helpful
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S. Loew
4.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting story and seems to parallel a lot with Donald Trump.
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2018
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This is a very interesting read but beware, Salman Rushdie is very erudite and it's not a breezy, easy read. You do have to concentrate. While it's fiction, you can't help but feel you're reading about Donald Trump. Certainly much of what's in the book is accurate in terms of news of the day, politics, issues and even all the weather disasters we experienced in 2017. I suggested it for my book club and we will be discussing it in a few weeks; and so far, it seems everyone is really enjoying it and looking forward to the discussion. There is lots to discuss...lots of symbolism and poignant messages about us as a people, our priorities and the face we put out to the public. I'm really glad I read it.
12 people found this helpful
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Gandalf
5.0 out of 5 stars Literary masterpiece
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2017
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As a typical Rushdie novel, this book is a brilliant literary showcase. This is not a political satire. Don't go by the description of the book. Sure, it's set around the American elections of 2016 but that's just a thread on the sideline. This is the story of a family that's shrouded in mystery. The characters are intriguing. The plot is not too difficult to follow like some other Rushdie novels. However, the language is absolutely beautiful. The mood throughout the book is fluid. Sometimes gay and sometimes sombre. That's Rushdie playing with the reader.
Overall, I'd highly recommend this book for Rushdie fans. Definitely not for someone looking for a political satire.
7 people found this helpful
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fz
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully complex. Masterfully written.
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018
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Like a good wine, complex and layered. Written as only SR can with poetry, depth, story line, and wit. Covers all the bases of current issues. Somewhat pedantic at times, but I can forgive him that, in light of the mastery of the rest of this work. Midnight's Children, Shalimar the Clown, and Satanic Verses still remain my favorites of his writings, but this book does not disappoint!
One person found this helpful
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Ritwik Sadhu
4.0 out of 5 stars A breathtaking tour de force through the state of America
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2020
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The story of the Goldens looks into the heart of American society today, and what the American dream means, for immigrants and Americans alike, in an age of rising inequality, xenophobia and overwhelming social strife - Rushdie's eye is bereft of the filters of the opinionated, and his take on both Indian and US socio-political realities feels accurate, with only a few small niggles here and there. Overall, a brilliant story, made even better by the author's narrative genius.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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T k Haricharan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great writer
Reviewed in India on December 1, 2019
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As usual bold and insightful and artistic
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M. Bamford
5.0 out of 5 stars Return to form highly recommended for Rushdie fans
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2019
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I hesitated to buy this, as I'd been less than impressed with last offering or two and there are a lot of negative reviews from critics and on here.
Finally I was persuaded by a review on here titled "His best since Shalimar the Clown", I got it and I really enjoyed it. I couldn't agree more. The prose is so addictive, every sentence is a joy to read, and a very contemporary and up to date setting.
It's maybe a bit less highbrow than you would expect, for example when he uses the term "bardo" he explains what it means, I wonder whether his readers need that kind of handholding. On the other hand I counted at least 4 examples of him quoting Paul Simon lyrics which would go straight over your head if you didn't know those songs.
Ultimately if you are familiar with his previous books, you need the opinion of someone in the same boat to decide whether this one is worth your time. There's no point paying attention to critics, who are in a world of their own, or first time readers, who might just not like Salman Rushdie's style in the first place. So take it from me it's a return to form.
4 people found this helpful
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R. Vaillancourt
5.0 out of 5 stars Not about Trump
Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2017
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More of an easier read than his previous. Witty, satirical poignant with an intriguing premise. Almost a film script plus layer upon later of director and actor notes. Set in Obamba’s time the references to Trump as the joker at the end of the book are very funny, though not at all needed. THIS NOT A SATIRE ON THE TRUMPS. Rushdie obviously added it just before the ok was due to go to print. OF COURSE THE WHOLE TRUMP THING WAS A PUBLICITY STUNT TO SELL BOOKS. FAKE NEWS, HaHa. The press bought it and I’m sure buyers will until they read this amazing work about a man who is haunted by his past and who’s three sons suffer tremendously because of it. would make a great TV mini series.
6 people found this helpful
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Jpg
5.0 out of 5 stars Rushdie at his best
Reviewed in France on September 24, 2017
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The great story teller is back with a great novel. An absolutely accurate description of today's America. A lot of drama, cinematic references, the unavoidable connection with India, a lot of western mythologies...a brilliant
4 people found this helpful
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Harry Penders
5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read
Reviewed in the Netherlands on October 22, 2017
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The Golden House geeft een haarscherpe analyse van het hedendaagse politieke klimaat in de VS, vanuit een cinematografisch perspectief. Daarnaast wordt op humoristische wijze een herkenbaar beeld geschetst van de internetsamenleving, waarin we al onze gevoelens en gedachten met iedereen willen delen. Een aanrader voor iedereen die heeft genoten van The Great Gatsby.
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