Midnight&;#8217;s Children by Salman Rushdie

Rushdie's complex but fascinating tale of Saleem and his family
is
inextricably intertwined with India's troublesome history. Saleem, born
on
the stroke of midnight when India gains its independence, becomes
'handcuffed to history'; the events of the country become mirrored in
his
own life. He possesses the special talent of being able to hear
peoples
thoughts, and becomes emotionally bound to the other 1000 children
living
throughout India born at exactly the same momentous time.

Saleem's personal struggles to cope with this crushing and
debilitating
power lead him and his family into emotional and physical danger, and
those
readers' aware of India's history will read the book with a
heightened
sense of anticipation.
Rushdie's clever writing style creates enough valid characters and
personal
details to allow those without a real interest in the political events
to
enjoy Saleem's story on its own merits. Rushdie adds comic
touches
throughout the novel and there are threads of information that link
together
the often complicated and overlapping storylines.

Although not an easy read, the style is compelling and the reader
becomes
intrigued with piecing together the many different strands of storyline
that
create the final whole picture.