Read Aloud Review: Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

“What’s the use of stories that aren’t even true?”

The question posed by the characters in Haroun and the Sea of Stories leads us into a magical adventure designed to delight as well as to push us to explore the value of fiction, the role of story, the role of narrative, the role of the legacies our oral and written traditions in our lives.

Most readers who are familiar with Salman Rushdie think of him as a writer of magical realism for adult readers and associate him most often with his novel Midnight’s Children, which won the Booker Prize, and The Satanic Verses, which is his most controversial book. However, this children’s fable will not fail to captivate you and your children.

I first read Haroun and the Sea of Stories in my 20’s and loved it for its craft and exploration of the power of writing, storytelling, and the spoken word. My 12 year old son and I were recently exploring my bookshelves, looking for our next bedtime read aloud. Now that he’s a preteen, we have a great opportunity through read alouds to explore books that might be a bit more complicated, bit more demanding, and delve in deeply together. Finding the right book for us to begin really opening up the world of literature and its power was on my mind, and I’m so glad I noticed Haroun on my shelf.

Children will love the wordplay and wistfulness of the adventure Haroun takes into a magical world where our stories live and are generated. The Water Genies and the Ocean of Stories answers wistfully such questions as “Where do writers get their ideas?” and “Where do we get our inspiration?”

At the same time, the novel provides multiple opportunities for conversations with your child about deeper issues and concepts.

The Role of Government and The Freedom of Speech
Salman Rushdie published Haroun and the Sea of Stories not long after the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa to kill Rushdie backed by the Iranian government in response to the publication of his novel Satanic Verses.

At its core, Haroun and the Sea of Stories is about the right to speak. The great villain in the story Kattam Shud is the arch-enemy of language. HIs followers stitch up their mouths and live in a dark, silent world.

Yet, the novel doesn’t stop there. With the inclusion of Prince Bolo, a foolish leader whose had stories changed to include him as the hero, the novel questions the power of free speech when that speech does not ring true, even in fiction. Do we have the power to change our stories? What consequences are there to stealing others stories? For appropriating to feed our own egos?


History of Kashmir Conflict
Salman Rushdie comes from a Kashmiran Muslim family; thus, it is not surprising Kashmir plays an important role in Haroun and the Sea of Stories. The Valley of K in the novel is clearly based on Kashmir, and the occupation of Kashmir by India, Pakistan, and China come to mind as readers witness the decolonization of the Land of Chup. This facet of the story presents an opportunity to discuss the history of conflict in Kashmir, as well as the lived experiences of people in areas ravaged by war as well as those in colonized areas.


Parent-Child Relationships
Rushdie dedicated the book to his son, opening the novel with an acrostic poem of his son’s name:

Z embla, Zenda Xanadu 

A ll our dream-worlds may come true.

F airy lands are fearsome too.

A s I wander far from view

R ead, and bring me home to you.

Haroun himself is separated at times from both parents; his mother abandons him, and he leaves his father in hopes of returning his father’s ability to tell stories. The separation of children from their parents and the emotional impacts on Haroun and his father provide opportunities for families to discuss the bonds they share, absences that occur, and impacts of not just parents on their children but also the impacts of children on their parents.


Allusions
Haroun and the Sea of Stories is riddled with allusions to literature and pop culture, including One Thousand and One Nights, The Beatles, The Wizard of Oz, The Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland, and Indian legends.

Reading the glossary at the back of the book can give a lead on some of the allusions prior to reading aloud. Discussing these allusions with young thinkers presents opportunities to acknowledge cultures’ impacts on one another and to make connections to themes of alluded to works. Why does Rushdie include these allusions? What is he saying about those works? What do the themes of those other works have to offer the story of Haroun?