Olga Volga

After reading Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie, I feel that there is a strong sense of Exile in the novel. I must admit that this novel was not one of my favorite, mainly due to the writing style. I found it to be long, and really drawn out. The thoughts of Olga Volga really stood out to me, she said 'I live today neither in this world nor the last, neither in America nor Astrakhan. Also I would add neither in this world nor the next. A woman like me, she lives some place in between. Between the memories and the daily stuff. Between yesterday and tomorrow, in the country of lost happiness and peace, the place of mislaid calm. This is our fate. This I now don't feel. Consequently however I have no fear of death" (p.9) This excerpt brings up many important themes in the novel, including the aspect of death, a type of nomadic stream and that of being a woman. This passage brings up a wide range of topics to discuss.