Midnight's Children

Salman Rushdie Date read: 1/8/22

First Published: 1981

I loved this novel! The story is engaging and keeps you interested all the way through - and it's almost 600 pages, so that's saying something. The writing style is fluid and natural. You almost feel like you're reading an actual autobiography, not fiction. (I believe a large part of the story is based on Rushdie's actual life, but the magical-realism parts fit in so seamlessly, it seems real).

My husband had tried, years ago, to read Rushdie's Satanic Verses and couldn't get very far before returning it. Also I knew Rushdie had had a fatwa declared on him for that other novel, and I'd read many people say he wrote stuff just to be controversial. Looking at the length of this one, I wasn't sure I'd make it very far if that was the case.

Instead I got sucked in to generations of a family's history. More than one family, really. I wish it kept going. I wish there was more. Never thought I'd say that after 600 pages!

There is violence against women in this novel but listen: he handles it beautifully. He is describing war. Rape happens in war. Rather than graphically describe what happens, he alludes to it. You know what happened, it is clear, but it isn't mentioned just for shock value or sensationalism or what-have-you. It is told in the same clear tones as the rest of the novel. And then he moves on. Therefore, I did not add this to my Violence Against Women tracker, as that is counting gratuitous rape/assault/etc that is in the work only to shock.

I want to mention how he, Lewis Carroll-like, makes up his own words. Anglepoised light, for instance. Beautiful. So well done. Not for the sake of being different or to draw attention to his cleverness, but because the proper word for what he was trying to say didn't exist yet!

I definitely plan to look at his other works after I am done with the list.

Time to read: 5 days

ReReadability: Yes except now you know how all those ends tie together and it won't be the same experience. But on the other hand, you'll notice how he alludes to stuff that doesn't happen for 400 pages later. So yeah, I think so. I will certainly read it again.

Classic: YES and easily deserves all of the awards he won for it.