Midnight's Children

Having red the "Satanic Verses" a few years ago I definitely waited too long to pick up "The Midnigt's Children". For anybody who can appreciate the literature and prefers a gourmet meal to chicken fried steak- stop reading reviews and start this book right now- it is a masterpiece. BTW - to those who give it three stars or fewer- I can only hope that they write something better and show us what a good novel should be- forgive my sarcasm. Initially the book may not be the easiest too read, as although the story is told mostly in chronological manner, it is interwoven with obscure at the time glimpses of the future. In Rushdie's world everything is connected, no thing is too small or inconsequential. Ideas, objects and small events initially loosely connected shape Saleem's life. As the story develops everything starts coming together, making sense, no longer obscure. Therefore the book becomes easier and easier to read and even more engaging the further you get into it. The reality and fantasy are tied together in this novel- typically for this author, fantasy serves to highlight and magnify the reality. The life of the protagonist, Saleem Sinai is magically tied to the life of the nation as he is born in the exact moment when India is born as a nation independent from the British rule. In the same hour 1000 of other children possessing supernatural abilities are born in India. Some say that the idea of magical children is not fully utilized by the author or perhaps even unnecessary, as the reality of the times is captivating enough. This is debatable, but in any case don't expect the magical children fighting villains, this is not Avengers or Fantastic 4. The extraordinary abilities of the children are more a curse and a source of misfortunes than they are a blessing as the world is not ready for them. Superstition, backwardness of the adults, causes them to pass the suffering on the children. The adults "make children the vessels into which they pour their poisons" of unhappiness, prejudice and intolerance. As the protagonist grows up, the insults from surrounding him adults and his own peers are replaced by much worse mayhem unleashed on him and the whole nation by the politicians and tyrants. As such the broken life and body of the midnight's child becomes a mirror of what happens to the fractured nation, divided by languages, religions and political ambitions. In this aspect the novel is a powerful accusation and the author takes no prisoners, historical figures even the reverend ones come under the fire of his literary weapons. Even though the optimism of the people is shown as a disease and completely unjustified the author leaves room for a sliver of hope- symbolized by the little Aadam. The use of visions, prophecies, colors, objects loaded with meanings, historical events and psychological insights along with rich and almost poetic prose create a book that is full of impact and should not be passed.

Although Midnight’s Children is proclaimed as Rushdie’s masterpiece, I did not enjoy it as much as I did Shalimar the Clown. It’s epic in its scale and ambition. There is so much here it may be difficult for some readers (myself included) to digest it all. There are a staggering number of minor characters, all realized with Rushdie’s customary skill. There are many passages of brilliance, wit, and wisdom. But these multitudinous characters slither in and out of the narrative making it difficult at times to follow, particularly considering that a novel of this length and complexity does not lend itself to a reading of one, or even just a few sittings. It is in the form of a three-volume “confession” by the narrator, Saleem Sinai, who is born at the exact midnight moment of India’s birth as a nation (hence the novel’s title), to his consort and fiancé, Padma. To add to the difficulties many of the characters have multiple names. Rushdie employs some literary devices that detracted from my enjoyment of the novel. At times it almost seemed as if he was indulging in technique for technique’s sake. One device is repetition. For instance, there’s constant thematic repetition of “knees and nose, nose and knees”, Saleem being the nose and his arch-enemy and rival, Shiva, being the knees. After a while my response was I get it, their fates are intertwined, but I don’t get why I need to read this formula yet again (maybe I don’t get it? I’m not even quite sure why the formula couldn’t be reversed. Are knees aggressive and the nose sensuous? A lot of hammering on one nail.) Another is Rushdie’s use of obscure vocabulary without any clear purpose that I can understand (even when I understand the words without looking them up). For example the words apocrine and eccrine keep popping up in the narrative without any clear reference (at least to me). Another problem I had, particularly with Volume 3 (spoiler alert – don’t read further if you want to remain in suspense), is where we learn of the identity of “the Widow”, who is the villain of the piece. It’s Indira Gandhi. The anti-Gandhi theme introduced here seems a bit overheated. Although Indira Gandhi did do some bad things, particularly the suspension of democracy during the “Emergency” of 1975-77, which is the background for a significant part of Volume 3, they seem pretty small beer when compared with the great historical crimes of the twentieth century. In fact she seems not obviously better or worse than many of the Prime Ministers India has experienced before and afterwards. So the tone of outrage and focus on her as the villainous “Widow”, while it may have been understandable from Rushdie’s perspective at the time Midnight’s Children was completed (1979), seems rather dated. All that said it would be unfair not to note that there are many passages in Midnight’s Children of great beauty and wisdom. Rushdie is unparalleled in capturing the sweep of life in India and Pakistan (and Bangladesh) and his genius for this is at its most expressive in this novel. He is also a writer of great learning and knowledge of what he writes -- knowledge which is fully on display here (in a good sense). The Bombay of which he writes is the Bombay of his own childhood; he himself was born in 1947, the year of India’s independence, the same as Saleem, the “hero” of the piece. Along the way, he gives us all sectors of Indian society, from the wealthy and privileged to the underclasses, and he does it with a true novelist’s eye (and nose!) for the telling detail and without editorializing. He succeeds in interweaving the private incidents in the lives of the characters he has created with historical events of the period: from the early part of the twentieth century to the late 70s, when the book was completed. It’s just a shame that because of their sheer number we don’t get to know some of them better. But maybe that’s inherent in Rushdie’s method; he himself has acknowledged his debt to Charles Dickens, and I guess one should no more expect to probe the depths of Nussie the Duck’s or Parvati-the-Witch’s psyches any more than those of Mr. Micawber or “Barkis is willing”.

Remarkable book and off course well deserving of not just Booker but Best of Booker. What this literary masterpiece does is it tells the story of a country (India) since 1947, intertwined by a child born, coming to age and adulting along with the new country; and one begins to wonder is it the story of the country and its people or of these individuals. This book falls into the category of historical fiction; blending history and fiction seamlessly. It tries to summarize millennia’s of thoughts and ways of being from the subcontinent in the characters of the book. The book has ability to transport you to time and places in a way the words actually paint the scene. It’s captivating, it’s a page turner, it’s crude sometimes and welcomed, and it’s comic. Lyndam Gregory did amazing narration in the Audible/ Audiobook version; it’s award worthy in itself. It’s unfortunate books and authors are banned; this book has nothing as controversial as its projected, or the political elite Congress / Nehru - Gandhi dynasty mustn’t endure as a price of being a ruling class; people who are offended the most do so without even reading it. And what’s in that book that any Indian wouldn’t have thought already. Honestly, I don’t really see why anyone gets bent out of shape about this book; at worst it makes fun, a parody of all of us; even better, atleast someone knows to self critique and laugh at themselves. Regardless, you will not regret reading this one especially if you are from South Asia or are curious / infatuated by South Asia. I hope there is ultimately a sequel to this book. I have so much respect for the author Salman Rushdie. “What cannot be cured, must be endured!”.

I had never read any of Salman Rusdie's work until this novel. (I was told this was a good place to start with Rushdie.) I admired very much the ambition of MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN. Rushdie is to be commended for trying to write a great book. He almost did it. The first half is really vivid and enthralling. Rushdie's prose is truly winged. However, somewhere about halfway through the novel (about the time the narrator leaves Pakistan), I lost interest and the rest of the book became a chore to finish. There really wasn't much of a payoff either, considering all the time invested in reading such a thick book. I think MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN would have been a much stronger book had it been pruned by at least a third. There were also too many loose ends for my taste. I'm glad I read the book though, and I think I have a pretty good idea of Rushdie's strengths and weaknesses as a writer now. It's not a bad book, but it's far from being a masterpiece.

Midnight’s Children could be called a not so distant cousin of A Thousand Years of Solitude. It stands on its own, of course, but what I mean is that there is a world, an epic, a history all inscribed within the pages of both novels. Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County would be an American equivalent. Midnight’s Children is regarded as so essential to Indian literature that South Asian critics regularly describe eras as pre and post Rushdie. If you haven’t read it, it tells the story of India, from just before Independence into the Indira Gandhi era, through the allegorical fictional events that occur to its protagonist. As a conceit, it’s brilliant —both in terms of originality and execution. Those who remember or know about this era in Indian history will not be surprised by its cynical tone. Everything from Indian religions to politics to the economy is subject to subtle, and not so subtle, ridicule. Perhaps if Rushdie were to write about India in the twenty first century this would have been a completely different work. But as Rushdie says, the temptation to write history as we wish and not how it was is simply that—a temptation. The difficult beginnings of the modern Indian state cannot be swept under the proverbial rug. However, it’s a book worth reading beyond those interested in South Asian studies. The play between the disasters of the hero and the disasters of India actually reach beyond the subcontinent to achieve universal resonance. I personally didn’t like the digs at religion and the dark humor employed in describing mass suffering, but these are matters on which mature readers will differ. Paradoxically, I believe, that as India becomes a richer and more powerful nation, this work describing the trauma of its youth will become only more and more important. It doesn’t need any props from me, but still highly recommended.

Phenomenal tale spun by a modern-day Sheherazade. Magical realism. It's not for everyone. It's hard-core literary and the names of foreign (and imagined) locales and people can be difficult for Americans to digest. It took some time for me to adapt to the prose style and the nature of the literary undertaking, but once I did I enjoyed it immensely and gained a great admiration for one who can write as Rushdie does. I followed it up with 'Knife' which was just right. Now I'm into The Moors Last Sigh, similar in ways to Midnight's Children. Rushdie's imaginative powers are second to none.

Throughout Rushdie's novel the plot is complex and the character's conflicts rapidly producing. Rushdie displays an amazing talent for writing in this way. The numerous subplots told by Saleem Sinai, the narrator, form an overall character that is relatable with the reader. At times it even seems as if the narrator is speaking directly to the reader by describing his own life and mistakes as simply as if in a one on one conversation. It takes a true master to write this way without producing the impression that the narrator is pointing a finger in the readers face, accusingly or all-knowingly. Rushdie's style of writing is what, personally, kept me reading. Although the beginning of the book more of resembles a family tree and history book, the information is needed in the long run. After reading through "Book One" of Rushdie's novel, the book became immensely more interesting. The plot thickened. Tragedy started to befall the world once filled with magical realism. The wonderful Midnight Child blessing of powers is shown in a new light. The reader in "Book Two" and "Book Three" starts to feel the pressure that Saleem feels, as well as even some of the pain. (If the reader decides to commit to the book completely.) All in all, I loved the book. The writing style was fantastic, the characters were relatable, and the plot was complex enough to challenge my own skills. Yes, the book is difficult, but the effort put into reading it is worth every page. However, for any future readers I have some advice: 1) Keep a family tree of the character's relations to each other during "Book One". The tree would help when Saleem makes allusions to his past to explain a certain point or his own personal reaction to an event. 2) Brush up on the Indian Independence and the British-Colonial Rule. Islam and Hinduism knowledge would aid the reader too, but isn't as in demand as the ruling classes and how they stand in the terms of control over their freedom and way of life. Finally--3) Read the book while sitting in a favorite spot. The book's plot is too complex for reading on the bus or a few pages every few days. The reader needs to be totally invested in the book and be willing to put in the time. For all of Rushdie's future readers, enjoy the novel!

What an outstanding novel, what a great invitation to follow the literary imagination and excellent writing capabilities of a very creative, and daring cosmopolitan mind! Centre stage belongs to the complex linkages among intimate, personal, family, ethnic, and social class tensions between keeping (Muslim-Hindu) traditions and/or transforming them, as well as between building radical ethnic-oriented nationalisms or contributing to the creation of more cosmopolitan societies in what has been called the Indian sucontinent during most of the 20th century. What is at stake, both simultaneously and inseparably, is the formation of a united nation (India) or of different nations (a Hindu-based India, and a Muslim-based East/West Pakistan, or Pakistan and former East Pakistan as independent Bangladesh), the creation of a united, close-knitted family or of several loosely interrelated domestic groups, and the forging of coherent individuals or internally-conflicting personalities. Nation-building-oriented competing stories about history, tradition, identity, faith, love, hatred, treason, and loyalty are compellingly, and imaginatively intertwined with family/personal-building-oriented ones. So the characters are always complexly embedded in interpersonal, family, social class, and ethnic-national relationships. The main character's life is inseparably linked to the conflicting formation processes of both his family, of his family's place in social class terms, and of India (Pakistan, and Bangladesh). In fact, the novel's name comes from the coincidence of several births happening at the same time: the independence of several culturally and politically heterogeneous territories from the British Crown in order to launch themselves in the challenge of forming India, the main character's birth, and that of a large group of other children ---all born at midnight, on... According to my understanding, the main character and the other "midnight's children" represent the constantly challenged, threatened hope for the building of better futures, but not in a Hollywood style of a Happy End embedded in an individualistic ideology. Life is, whether we like it or not, immensely more complex. Take the plunge, learn, be challenged, and enjoy.

A tour de force! The early decades of Indian and Pakistani independence through the view of Salim Sinai, one of the magical brood born on the stroke of midnight.

To say I've devoured this book would be a lie, so I'll just state the truth. It took me two weeks to finish it, and this is all due to the enormity, the greatness, the ever expanding world of this book. There are longer books in literature, yes, but this book, in its almost 650 pages, manages to give several points of discussions about a different variety of topics. The story, which starts from the end like most magic realist books, is meant to be the autobiography of Saleem Sinai. Saleem tells us who he is, as every respectable biography does, and he says that his birthday is important because he was born on August 15th, 1947, on the stroke of midnight, right when India gained its Independence from the British rule. Now he's about to turn 31, but the clock is ticking, and he needs to tell his story before he forgets and it is lost forever. In a meta-narration where Saleem, our narrator, tells us about the past but also comments in the present about what happened in a precise moment, we are thrown back into pre-Independence India as Saleem starts the story by recounting his grandfather's Aadam Aziz story of how he met his grandma, in 1915, Kashmir. The place is not casual at all, because Kashmir will be one of the most reclaimed territories by both India and Pakistan after the Partition, and it's not casual everything started there, in that paradise. It's not a coincidence the grandfather is called "Aadam". It all starts from a perforated sheet where Aadam sees bits of his future wife Naseem. The perforated sheet, as well as the theme of holes in general, is recurring in this book, and greatly connects the beginning and the end that you can't fail to see the parallels, the mirrors. In this story, nothing is casual, especially the fact that Saleem was born on midnight. He, and the other children born at midnight of the same day, possessed great powers. But there are secrets behind Saleem's birth, secrets that will make or break relationships, obsessions, love and hatred. You know what they say, the more powerful you are, the more feared you will be. I wish I could say more than this, but I don't want to spoil anything to you, because this book really manages to shock you until the very end. The writing is flowing, fresh, you never get annoyed because you want to know how did that happen, what will be of this or that character. The story may seem all over the place because Saleem starts retracing his origins back to his grandfather, but it isn't at all. It is a story full of history, hybridity, identity, religion, politics... it is a world in its own right, with tragic moments made less sad by the grotesque, by the irony and the sarcasm Rushdie is able to deliver majestically. It isn't just Saleem's story, it is a story of a country divided, partitioned. A country that is looking for a mother, for a father, someone to guide them, to mend the cracks. But Saleem knows that it's impossible, because there are cracks - like the one in the perforated sheet - that you can't mend, that you won't be able to mend, especially if your fate is doomed. Rushdie is a British author but he is also Indian, which mean this novel also deals with the problem of hybridity, because Saleem also moves to different places in his life. I could say more but I think you should read for yourself the waste number of topics that this book discusses, because they can't be narrowed down. I think lovers of magic realism but also fantasy will like this book.

This review essentially deals with the author Salman Rushdie rather than this book, because after all Midnight's Children is the 'Booker of Bookers', what more can one add? - except to state that if you are preoccupied with 'magic' then you have spectacularly missed the point of this book. The allegorical nature of its construction, its metaphors and its historical dramas are what is important here; its allusions and not any apparent wizardry. As my title said, this most certainly is not Harry Potter for readers and I wish reviewers would stop wasting their words on that topic and instead re-read and re-examine the core themes, dramas and constructs of what is undoubtedly one of the greatest books ever written. Salman Rushdie is to Literature, what George W. Bush was to American politics. Seldom has history witnessed individuals who possess such an ability to thoroughly polarize their respective audiences. Love or loathe, there can be nothing in between. For reference, my feet are firmly on the 'love' side of the divide. In continuum, one thing I personally find fascinating about Rushdie is his ability to alienate people in equal numbers to those he utterly enthralls. As per the aforementioned correlation there are those that he utterly repulses and repels and that fascinates me. What is the reason for this? It is fair to say that, that which we are able to 'read' (and by read I mean in the Mortimer Aldler sense of the word), is a direct reflection of our own intellect or lack thereof, and I sincerely believe that this is one reason why Rushdie irritates so many people. He irritates people because most people are not that bright and are not really 'readers'; not actually literate per se. What I mean by that last comment is that people no longer seem able to concentrate on a book (or much else besides television), or to dig for deeper meaning; to read between the lines and to grasp allegory and metaphorical allusions. In today's world of get-rich-quick everyone wants to be Eric Clapton but no one wants to put in the hours, henceforth people buy 'Guitar Hero'. Life is not a game of 'Guitar Hero'. It's interesting to draw parallels between Rushdie and another English author, Stephen Fry. Fry is also an intellectual heavyweight with a wonderfully sharp and agile brain and an extensive vocabulary. Unlike Rushdie, however, Fry is big and cuddly, has round edges and not sharp corners and I think that is one reason why the public take to him more easily. Besides which he is also flawed and slightly imperfect; he reaches out to us where Rushdie pulls away. To Fry's non-threatening modelling-clay persona Rushdie is perfect, unforgiving and cold, a statuesque individual carved from the hardest granite. One can't also help but feel that perhaps Rushdie's ethnicity rubs people up the wrong way, or is that just a cheap shot on my part and merely an easy way to find an answer to my question? One cannot help but wonder, though, if it isn't hard for those outside the liberal Literary establishment to accept a man of colour is more brilliant, better educated and ore mellifluous than they could ever hope to be. Again, that might just be smoke-and-mirrors, a cheap shot on my behalf, a quick-fix to a more complex quandary. To return to my second paragraph, I personally adore the fact that I have to read Rushdie with a green highlighter in hand (green is my colour for unknown words). I adore the fact that Rushdie crushes my ego, and belittles my vocabulary. I love the fact he challenges me to become a better reader to widen my vocabulary. I love the fact that Cambridge-educated Rushdie has a higher intellect than I, because he is SUPPOSED to have. An author (like any artiste) should ideally not be an everyman, should not be a Stephen King or a Jeffery Archer. Authors of Literature should shoulder the responsibility of raising the bar and challenging our collective consciousness, and Rushdie relishes that opportunity and performs that rôle admirably, a perfect casting. If you don't get the beauty and elegance of this book, then you simply have not understood it and I sincerely urge you re-read it, preferably with a green highlighter in hand!

Muy interesante la historia - muy diferente.

Ein absolut umwerfendes Buch, nicht umsonst als bester bookerprice Gewinner gewählt. Sprachgewaltig wie sonst nur Günter Grass. Ich dachte zu Anfang, ich hätte die englische Übersetzung eines Buchs von Grass in meinen Händen. In der Tat hat Rushdie Grass als Inspiration für sein Werk genannt. Die gleichen wuchtigen Bilder, die Wiederholung eines Themas aus allen Blickwinkeln, die genialen Wertschöpfungen ... Saleem Sinai und Oskar Matzerath sind Brüder im Geiste und was des einen Bombay ist, ist des anderen Danzig. Wie bei Grass steckt in jedem x-beliebigen Satz mehr Eleganz als bei vielen anderen Autoren in einem ganzen Roman zu finden ist. Wie Grass wohl nicht zu übersetzen. Leider verliert das Buch etwas von seinem Zauber, wenn die Familie Bombay verlässt und nach Pakistan übersiedelt. Der Zauber verblasst, genauso wie Saleem seine Kräfte verliert nicht mehr mit den Mitternachtskindern kommunizieren kann. Auch Oskar wächst und verliert die kraft Glas zu zersingen und auf seiner Trommel die Welt zu erforschen und zu erklären. Sein Düsseldorf ist Saleems Pakistan. Ein Schönheitsfehler. Ein großer erster Roman eines großen Schriftstellers.