Salman Rushdie had been living under threat of assassination for more than three decades when he was finally attacked on stage in the summer of 2022. A man with a knife ran up to the stage and stabbed him multiple times before he began speaking. He survived the attack, but was left with some permanent damage and a long road to recovery in front of him. In Knife, he tells us about the attack from his perspective, as well as what happened during its aftermath.
Though it’s based on recent events, the book is actually a more long-reaching memoir, as he looks back through the lens of a near-death experience over other major events throughout his life. He discusses his time living under 24-hour protection (and the attacks that were prevented because of it) during the early days of the fatwa against him. He talks about his decision to move to America and test whether he was able to live a more normal life. He shares his love for his family – and the story of how he met his wife, Eliza. And he shares the thoughts and feelings that came up for him as he navigated the difficult up and down path of recovering from his many injuries in great detail.
I hadn’t read a Rushdie book before this one – I’d started a few, but never finished one. Strangely, though it’s a memoir rather than his usual fiction and is about one traumatic event in his life, this turned out to be a really good introduction to Rushdie. We learn about so many parts of his life, and we get to know who he is through the crucible of trauma. We get to see what he’s learned through all the events of his life, and what was most important to him when he faced the near miss that nearly took it from him. I enjoy memoirs that show me how someone changes because of what they go through. I enjoy seeing the inside out view of life from their perspective. And this book gave me both elements, and did it very well. While I’ve found his fiction to be a little difficult to gain entry to, this book showcased his beautiful ability to use words to evoke emotion and his precise writing style. It helped me see what it is about his work that has brought him so much attention in literary circles, and proved that it’s not just because of the sensational events surrounding his work that he has garnered this attention.
Obviously this is not an easy book to read. His attack, injuries and recovery are recounted in great detail, as is the impact it had on his family. It’s written at an even pace that doesn’t linger too long in any one moment, but it is still a lot. Though I only dealt with one issue at a time, some of his experiences in hospital did bring back memories of my own time dealing with injuries and surgery, so be prepared going in that if you have any medical trauma, this will likely touch it for you. But his subsequent reflections on what it means to have a second chance at life, how it crystalizes what is most important and makes you want to fiercely protect your life is also a testament to human spirit and ability to survive. My final impressions at the end of the book were primarily positive – he works through such a range of emotions, landing on love as being the one to which he will aspire for the rest of the second-chance life he lives. Love for his family, love for his wife who nursed him back to health – but also love for the goodness in humanity and for those people who have touched his life in positive ways. If you’re curious about Rushdie and his work but haven’t found a book by him that you could get into, I’d recommend giving this one a try. It is intense, but also a beautiful account of survival and the will to live and love.
From internationally renowned writer and Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring—and surviving—an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him
On the morning of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black—black clothes, black mask—rushed down the aisle toward him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it’s you. Here you are.
What followed was a horrific act of violence that shook the literary world and beyond. Now, for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, Rushdie relives the traumatic events of that day and its aftermath, as well as his journey toward physical recovery and the healing that was made possible by the love and support of his wife, Eliza, his family, his army of doctors and physical therapists, and his community of readers worldwide.
Knife is Rushdie at the peak of his powers, writing with urgency, with gravity, with unflinching honesty. It is also a deeply moving reminder of literature’s capacity to make sense of the unthinkable, an intimate and life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art—and finding the strength to stand up again. – Goodreads
Book Title: Knife
Author: Salman Rushdie
Series: No
Edition: Audiobook
Published By: Random House
Released: April 16, 2024
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Fanaticism, Near-Death, Family
Pages: 209
Date Read: July 26-27, 2024
Rating: 8/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.14/5 (9,987 ratings)
