Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's classic novel Don Quixote, Quichotte is a metafiction that tells the story of an addled Indian-American man who travels across America in pursuit of a celebrity television host with whom he has become obsessed.

He begins obsessively watching reality television and becomes infatuated with Salma R, a former Bollywood star who hosts a daytime talk show in New York City.

In an interview with Indian newspaper Mint, Rushdie described its inspiration: "Don Quixote is astonishingly modern, even postmodern—a novel whose characters know they are being written about and have opinions on the writing.

"[19] Claire Lowdon of The Sunday Times gave the novel a rave review, saying, "Quichotte is one of the cleverest, most enjoyable metafictional capers this side of postmodernism" and that "we are still watching a master at work.

"[21] Writing for Booklist, Donna Seaman said, "Rushdie's dazzling and provocative improvisation on an essential classic has powerful resonance in this time of weaponized lies and denials.

"[23] Jude Cook of i called the novel a "wildly entertaining return to form" and said of Rushdie: "Now in his eighth decade, it is clear he still possesses the linguistic energy, resourcefulness and sheer amplitude of a writer half his age.

"[24] Ron Charles, a book critic at The Washington Post, gave the novel a mixed review and wrote, "Rushdie's style once unfurled with hypnotic elegance, but here it's become a fire hose of brainy gags and literary allusions — tremendously clever but frequently tedious.

"[5] Sukhdev Sandhu of The Guardian agreed as well, writing, "This is not uninteresting territory for a writer to delve into, but Quichotte is too restless and in love with itself to be anything other than a symptom of the malaise it laments.

"[27] Writing for the New Statesman, lead fiction writer Leo Robson panned the novel, calling it "draining" and saying, "We're simply stuck with an author prone to lapses in tact and taste, and a lack of respect for the reader's time or powers of concentration.