Quichotte

Miguel de Cervantes wrote one of the earliest and most influential novels of all time.

“Don Quixote.”

Basically, after reading numerous tales of romance and chivalry, Don Quixote awakes one day in later life and believes he is a knight dedicated to honor and love. He sees windmills as giants and has many satirical adventures with his earthy squire Sancho Panza.

“Don Quixote” has inspired movies, plays, musicals and other novels.

Novelist Salman Rushdie is the latest to take a page from Cervantes with his new novel, “Quichotte.” 

Pronounced “key-SHOT” – Rushdie dedicates a page to the pronunciation of his title and main character, the book uses the Quixote archetype character to tell a story about America in the 21st century.

Here a character awakes to a new mission after years working for a relative as a pharmaceutical, spending days on the road, watching countless hours of reality TV while staying in motels. 

Fired from his job, he has a break from reality, takes the name Quichotte and sets out on a quest to win the love of a woman he regularly watches on TV – a talk show host who has a following dwarfed only by the popularity of Oprah.

On his quest across America, Quichotte finds his Sancho through a son he creates from his imagination – here, the book also takes inspiration from Pinocchio as the imagined son becomes a real person with help from a cricket; an India native, Quichotte faces racism and hatred from various Americans; becomes involved in the opioid crisis; deals with a clash of cultures and religions; is alienated from family, etc.

Rushdie never mentions Donald Trump’s name but his narrative is intentionally designed as commentary of modern America in the age of the current president.

Meanwhile, “Quichotte” is a story within a story. Quichotte is the creation of an author featured in the book – a lonely man estranged from his son and sister. The storyline author and Quichotte closely resemble each other. The details of their lives merge as Rushdie tells both of their stories.

Rushdie is the author of several books, including “The Satanic Verses,” which led to the Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa on Rushdie. His novels are usually serious so it’s interesting to see references to science fiction works and elements in his book, even the Hulk, as well as details on reality TV shows … but all reflect the times. He also gives himself an out with an author within the story writing the Quichotte story.

“Quichotte” is a brutally funny and beautiful book, insightful, charming and frightening in its observations. Like most “Quixote”-type/quest stories, the tale is about the journey more than the destination. Rushdie creates a journey worth taking.