First published 2001
Malik Solanka, a historian and dollmaker, abruptly abandons his family and London for the bustling streets of New York. Haunted by an inner rage, he seeks to disappear into the teeming metropolis. But fury surrounds him everywhere - a serial killer stalks women, cab drivers spew invective, and Malik's own roiling emotions threaten to consume him. As he navigates this chaotic new world, Malik finds himself drawn to two very different women, each stirring a fury all their own. Rushdie's compelling, kaleidoscopic tale explores the duality of the human condition - the civilized and the savage, the rational and the primal, the power of love and the power of destruction.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, duality, unreliable-narrator
Setting: New York (N.Y.), United States
Period: 21st-century
272 pages · Hardcover · Random House
Content warnings: violence