Haroun and the Sea of Stories | Book Shelf

Salman Rushdie comes with a big reputation shadowing him. His Satanic Verses inflamed the Islamic community, resulting in a fatwa being issued against him. It is only natural for a reader to approach his work with a certain degree of reverence and with some heavy weight expectations. The reader will, however, be pleasantly surprised with Haroun and the Sea of Stories – Salman Rushdies moves away from all the preconceptions surrounding him, emerging as a humorous storyteller.

In Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Rushdie weaves a modern fable about a storyteller who loses his skill and the ensuing struggle against mysterious forces that attempt to block the seas of inspiration from which all stories are derived. It is a fairy tale with a very contemporary touch, the names of people and places, and the situations alluding to very recent South Asian happenings. The reader is taken through a maze of colourful creatures and places, each familiar and yet with an ethereal touch.

Rashid Khalifa, a renowned storyteller, has lost his touch. Haroun, the protagonist, thus, embarks on a mission to restore his father's creativity. Helped by Iff, the water genie, Haroun explores the Ocean of the Stream of Stories in his quest. The ocean, as he finds out, is alive and is the biggest storeroom of all stories and tales. There are problems though, pollution, conspiracies and more. As Haroun moves ahead, he sees new and interesting plots unfold, meets new characters and lives through newer challenges. The end as in many fables is happy, what comes before it, however makes the journey more than worthwhile.

In a marked move away from Satanic Verses, Rushdie has been successful in creating a delightful, simple, witty and modern fable with Haroun and the Sea of Stories. The biggest plus for this work may be its accessibility, the prose is not taxing and it does not demand the reader to be into it, full time, full swing, full focus. But, while labeling it accessible and an easy read, it is not the easiest of plots to follow and enjoy, if not done in one sitting. The colour of the characters and the essence of the situations may just fade away, if there are large gaps during the reading. The Dull Lake in the Valley of K or Khattam Sud or Bezaban can give the reader a sense of familiarity but that can easily vanish if the reader does not follow Haroun closely enough.

Different would be the best way to describe Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Delightful, yes, colourful and witty, even more so. Recommended, very!