Finished: Midnight's Children (Rushdie). Detailed, descriptive, mystical, historical book about a child born at midnight the night that India became an independent country. Saleem Sinai (and 1000 other children) are born between the stroke of midnight and 1:00 a.m. on this infamous day, on August 15, 1947. The book follows Saleem's life and experiences as they seem to mirror the experiences of India the nation. A book like Midnight's Children, which is highly acclaimed, is one of those books that forces me to stop reading the book and read about the history of the country I'm reading about! I knew nothing about India's people or history, and now I know just a little bit. We follow Saleem and India through the new Independence, and through the partitioning of India, whose biggest result was the creation of Pakistan, where the majority of the Muslim faith lived. However, not all. Creating Pakistan for the Muslim's with the idea of the majority of India being Hindu, caused the great shift of people trying to get to their prospective areas. Where they met in the middle, there was intense conflict! We also follow Saleem through the assassination of Gandhi, the power struggles in India, the War of 1965, in which most of Saleem's family was killed, the War of 1971, and the rule of Indira Gandhi, including her son Sanjay's "slum cleansing" and "family planning" initiatives, i.e., the forced sterilization of many of the poor sector of India. Saleem lives to be only 31, so the history of India is only followed until 1978.

So...as the book follows these actual historical events, Saleem's own personal history is going right along side them. Rushdie intermixes current events with the narrator's own thoughts and experiences, so we get a steady intermingling of the two worlds. (For instance, in an anonymous note that Saleem writes in his youth, he clips the letters from various headlines of the time and we, the readers, see several startling, true headlines of events that are happening then and there.) The book starts off with Saleem's grandfather, Aadam Aziz, a doctor, who courts and eventually marries Naseem Ghani. Aadam's parents own a jewelry shop, and in one of my favorite descriptive passages of the book, Aadam is on his knees praying on the freezing ground when his prominent nose leads his head to fall forward and hit the ground where his nose bleeds.

One Kashmiri morning in the early spring of 1915, my grandfather Aadam Aziz hit his nose against a frost-hardened tussock of earth while attempting to pray. Three drops of blood plopped out of his left nostril, hardened instantly in the brittle air and lay before his eyes on the prayer-mat, transformed into rubies. Lurching back until he knelt with his head once more upright, he found that the tears which has sprung to his eyes had solidified, too; and at that moment, as he brushed diamonds contemptuously from his lashes, he resolved never again to kiss earth for any god or man. This decision, however, made a hole in him, a vacancy in a vital inner chamber, leaving him vulnerable to women and history. Unaware of this at first, despite his recently completed medical training, he stood up, rolled the prayer-mat into a thick cheroot, and holding it under his right arm surveyed the valley through clear, diamond-free eyes. 

Aadam, with his spiritual hole is called to the house of the ailing, unmarried Naseem by her father. Because of tradition, Aadam is only allowed to see the ailing part of Naseem through a 7 inch circle cut into a sheet. Over the months, Naseem's father calls Aadam out for Naseem's various ailments, until little by little, Aadam is falling in love with Naseem one body part at a time, even though he has never seen her face! Finally, Aadam declares his love, Naseem's father chuckles and says "at last", and Naseem consents to marry Aadam. They are married and the sheet with the hole stays with them their entire married life. Soon, Naseem rules the roost of Aadam and their five children, daughters Alia, Mumtaz and Emerald, and sons Hanif and Mustapha. It would take me the entire 500 pages of the book to repeat all the intricate relationships and happenings that lead up to Saleem's birth and continue on with his story! Let's just say that Hanif and Mustapha don't have major parts in the story until later. Alia falls in love with businessman, Ahmed Sinai, and he her...until he meets her sister Mumtaz. Mumtaz, though, has fallen in love with Nadir Kahn, who is in fear of assassination so is hidden in the basement of the Aziz family for two years. Mumtaz and Nadir are married, but her family is outraged when they find out the marriage has never been consummated. (I guess a huge show of dishonor?) Anyway, Nadir divorces Mumtaz and flees. Though Mumtaz always loves Nadir, she does fall for Ahmed Sinai, and to the disappointment of her sister, Alia, she marries him. Ahmed changes Mumtaz's name to Amina and they move away to Bombay and have their two children, Saleem and his sister, the Brass Monkey, as they call her.

Then, we pick up with Saleem's story. Saleem is born with a huge, huge nose, shaped, apparently, like India. Amina visits a profit before Saleem's birth and he gives a pretty spot on, but confusing interpretation of what Saleem's life will be like. In addition, there is a prize being offered by the government for the first baby born in the new year...in the hour of India's independence. Amina hopes beyond hope that her baby will be the one, but there is another, poorer woman who she is in competition with. The street-singer's wife, Vanita, is at the hospital at the same time. Amina does, in fact, give birth first, to a son. Vanita gives birth to a son as well just seconds later. Mary, the midwife, in an effort to impress her boyfriend, switches the babies!! She wants to prove that even though one is rich born and one is poor, it is how they are raised that will make the difference. She immediately feels guilty, but the deed is done. She offers to go home with Amina and her family and be a nursemaid to their son. She is like his second mother for years to come. So, Saleem, who is really the son of Vanita, grows up with Amina and Ahmed. Shiva, who is their true son, goes to the streets with his "father", because his mother has died giving birth. Saleem is hailed as the first baby of the independent India and marked for great things. However, he wonders when and what those great things will be. He's an unattractive child with his huge nose. He is called all manner of nicknames growing up, but his mystical nose is an important part of the entire story.

Constantly dripping and clogged, the first mystical event happens when Saleem is hiding in his mother's room and doesn't want to be caught. Unable to stand the drippage one second more, he sucks it all up violently into his head and suddenly he can hear the voices of the other remaining children who were also born at midnight the night of India's indepence! Saleem forms a society, the Midnight Children's Conference, with them and since they can all talk to each other through Saleem's head, they get to know each other at meetings each night. The closer to midnight a child was born, the more powerful his "gift". Since Saleem was born closest to midnight, or so he thinks, he has this incredible power of reading people's thoughts and of being this conduit of all the other children. Shiva, the seemingly second most powerful, has become a street bully and is very aggressive. He insists on being second in command of the society. He thinks they should use their powers to get material things, while Saleem thinks they should see what good they can do for humanity, and more specifically, India, with their gifts. Not all the children are focused on, but a few are. There is Parvati-the-witch who can perform incantations and do spells, etc. She becomes a good friend of Saleem's. There is a child who can time travel, one who can switch sexes at will, one who can travel through reflective surfaces like glass or water, one who is so beautiful that anyone who looks at her freezes to stone, etc. etc. As most societies go, no one can ever agree on anything, so they don't get anything worthwhile accomplished. Oh, and Shiva's big power seems to be his strength and his ability to crush things with his powerful knees. "Nose and knees, knees and nose."

By the time they are 10 years old, most of the children, including Saleem, have lost interest in meeting very often and are going about their daily lives. At a school dance, the unattractive, perpetually runny-nosed Saleem is trying to impress a girl and he actually stands up to some bullies! However, they get the last action in by slamming his hand in a door, slicing off the top of one of Saleem's fingers. After being rushed to the hospital, Saleem's blood type is needed and the doctor explains to Ahmed and Amina that there is no way Saleem could by their biological son. Mary is beside herself, but still doesn't confess to the baby switch. Ahmed is furious with Amina and upon Saleem's release from the hospital he experiences his first exile....he is sent to live with his screenwriter wanna-be Uncle Hanif and his wife, the actress, Pia. They are childless and enjoy having Saleem there. Saleem doesn't understand why his parents have abandoned him, but Mary goes along with them and Saleem stays there for several weeks. He has an "interesting" reaction to having his face pulled into his aunt's beautiful bosom, and realizes he is growing up. Several weeks later, he is sent back home wearing the long pants of a grown young man now, instead of the shorts of a boy. His parents and sister accept him back at home, but it is clear that the Brass Monkey, who has always been treated as a second class citizen compared to her brother, is now the princess of the house. Saleem will never again be treated as the wonder that he was supposed to become. However, his parents do love him in their own way.

There are so many things that go on with other characters, that it's hard to put it all down. For instance, Aadam's other sister, Emerald, marries an important military man, Zulifkar. They have a son who continues to wet his bed into adulthood. This story takes a few tangents, as the uncle prefers to be around Saleem rather than his own son. The Brass Monkey, Saleem's sister, is a devilish girl who loves to set fire to people's shoes (not while they're in them). She also has many admirers, but refuses to believe that anyone could love her, so is horribly cruel to anyone who admits they love her. As a teenager, she is encouraged to sing one day and it is discovered she's got the most beautiful voice in the world. Of course, this is after she has become number one in her parents' eyes and Saleem has been relegated to back up duty. We finally learn her real name, Jamila, and she goes off and becomes a famous singer all over India. Also, there are the side stories of Ahmed's business ups and down and his bizarre ways of locking himself in his office for weeks at a time; and of Amina's rekindling of her romance with Nadir and their secret meetings at a coffee shop. They never physically reunite, but sit and talk and dream. When Saleem finds out what his mother is doing, he is horrified. At the same time, he finds out that his beloved Aunt Pia has been dumped by her own lover, and movie producer who lives near Saleem. (He finds this out by reading her mind when she's upset.) She has been dumped for another woman. Saleem plots revenge and sends the aforementioned anonymous note to the other woman's husband who ends up killing the movie producer! Saleem had not expected this reaction and feels responsible for the murder. And also...the movie producer was his Uncle Hanif's only means of income. When he dies, his Uncle Hanif commits suicide, so Saleem is doubly guilty. The only good result that Saleem can see is that the horror opens up his own mother's eyes, and she quits meeting with Nadir. Anyway....there are so many stories like this within the book, and not enough time or inclination to blog about them all. :-)

Finally, one day when all the family is visiting Ahmed and Amina, Mary...who has been haunted by the ghost of her old boyfriend, comes clean and confesses that she switched Saleem and Shiva at birth! Though there is outrage at first, no one goes in search of the true biological son. Eventually Ahmed even tells his son he loves him, which he hasn't done is several years.  Saleem then consciously quits convening any and all meetings of the Midnight Children's Conference because he doesn't ever want the brutal Shiva to know that he was truly the first born of them all. One day, the parents and the Brass Monkey plan a family picnic and it's really a trick. They take Saleem to the hospital to have his huge, running nose once and for all drained. Though he vehemently protests, Saleem is put under, and when he awakes, the second mystical event has happened with his nose. He can no longer hear people's thoughts or hear the voices of the other midnight's children. However...he can smell for the first time in his life! And not just smell...his sense of smell is so intense that he can smell any and all odors no matter how small...and he can smell emotions as well! He can smell fear and happiness and resentment and disappointment...all of them.

When Saleem is a teenager, his family is in dire straights due to his father's erratic behavior, so they go to live with his Aunt Alia...the one who initially loved Saleem's father! Though she is pleasant on the outside, Saleem can smell her vengeful thoughts. She has never forgiven her sister, Amina for marrying Ahmed. Before she can exact her revenge though, the war of 1965 between India and Pakistan breaks out. In a vivid scene, bombs fall all about and systematically kill nearly everyone in Saleem's family. His grandfather had long since passed away, but his grandmother, Naseem and his uncle's widow, Pia, are killed together at their business venture by one bomb. His parents and Aunt Alia are killed at her home by one bomb. His Aunt Emerald and bed wetting cousin are killed by another bomb (her husband, Zulifkar, having already been killed by his own son when he discovered that his supposedly pristine father was dealing in the illegal black market.) The only family members who are spared are his sister, who is traveling India singing, and his obscure Uncle Mustapha who has never lived near the war torn areas. The bomb that levels Aunt Alia's house blasts up the old dowry trunk that Saleem's grandfather Aadam had given to Ahmed when he married Amina. Inside the trunk was the silver and lapis spittoon that was sentimental to Amina because it belonged to her and Nadir. This spittoon flies through the air and hits Saleem so hard on the head that he develops amnesia. Saleem and the spittoon are taken to the hospital where his sister comes to see him. Seeing that he'll be ok, she hands him over to be taken care of by the army and goes on about her singing career. So, when Saleem awakens he has become part of Pakistan's army! He can't remember his name or any of his life events, but he is attached to the spittoon, and is being used by the army as essentially a bomb sniffing dog because of the abilities of his nose!

In a long sequence where the amnesiac Saleem calls himself the Buddha, he takes three young soldiers in search of enemies. They end up lost in a huge rain forest where they all experience hallucinations. Saleem is bit by a snake and suddenly recovers all his memories! He runs at the mouth and tells the soldiers his life history. They had heard that he might be the brother of the famous Jamila Singer, but now they know for sure! Saleem makes his way back to Pakistan where India has now won and the leaders of Pakistan have surrendered. Miraculously, India has brought in a bunch of street magicians and entertainers for the giant "party". Among those magicians is Saleem's long ago friend, Parvati-the-witch. Since they were able to see visions of each other back in the Midnight Children's Convention days, Parvati immediately recognizes Saleem and screams out his name. This is how he remembers his name. :-) So he won't have to become a prisoner of war, Parvati puts an invisibility spell on Saleem and smuggles him back into India with the help of the Most Charming Man in the World, snake charmer, Picture Singh. Saleem ends up back living with Parvati, Picture Singh and the other street magicians in near poverty in the slums of India. They live by the meager means their tricks bring in. Parvati is in love with Saleem and wants to marry him, but he is impotent and says no. She goes off and finds Shiva, who is by now a huge, yet still deadly, hero in the Indian army who can have any woman he wants, and she becomes pregnant by him. When she returns to the slums, she is visibly pregnant and Picture Singh and Parvati convince Saleem that the two should be married to save her reputation. Saleem finally agrees and Parvati gives birth to a baby with huge.......ears! He is named Aadam after Saleem's grandfather and similar to Saleem's nose being able to smell everything, little Aadam can hear everything. He doesn't cry and doesn't make a sound and doesn't see the need to speak until he's nearly three years old. Saleem considers Aadam to be his son because, after all, he is the true grandson of his parents since he is Shiva's son.

But...no...we cannot have happiness. Right about now is when Indira Gandhi has sanctioned the slum cleansing and birth control initiatives. One morning Saleem, Parvati, Aadam and Picture Singh wake up to huge bulldozers plowing over their shanties. What's more...somehow Gandhi has found out about the children of midnight and their special powers. Because no one can have more powers than she could possibly have, she gives orders for top dog Shiva to round up Saleem so they can force him to name all the remaining Midnight's Children. Parvati is killed in the bulldozing and Picture Singh scoops up Aadam and escapes, but Saleem is sent to a prison and tortured until he names every one of the remaining children of midnight...including Shiva! Shiva, however, has already confessed to being one and has been voluntarily sterilized. The remaining children of midnight are sterilized, not just by snipping, but by removal of organs in case tubes ever grow back together. Then, horrifically, they are all also purged of their special powers. How this is done, Saleem doesn't know...but they all leave the prison sterile and no longer special. Rushdie makes many scathing comments, mostly round about and many satirical, about the cruel rule of Indira Gandhi. There is joy in the book when she is not "re-elected".

When Saleem is released, he reunites with Picture Singh and Aadam, who is now 21 months old. They have a small adventure, traveling to Bombay so Picture Singh can challenge another snake charmer who calls himself The Most Charming Man in the World. The challenge is completed, and Picture Singh is triumphant. At the victory dinner they are served the most delicious chutney that strikes a chord with Saleem. He recognizes the delicious taste! He finds out that the chutney is made in a pickle factory near his old home in Bombay where he lived with Ahmed, Amina and the Brass Monkey, before his finger was cut off. He takes Aadam to the pickle factory only to discover that the owner and chief chutney maker is the long lost nursemaid, Mary! She embraces Saleem and Aadam and he is once again with family. As the story is being told, we learn that Saleem, the narrator, is dying of a "bone crushing" disease; the same one that killed his grandfather Aadam Aziz. He's trying to get his story written before his 31st birthday when he feels he will die. In essence, there is no cure for the disease because it would appear that it is really the manifestation of all the tragic events in his life, combined with the same emptiness that his grandfather died from...the emptiness of not believing in a faith or a god. As Saleem writes, he also tells his tale to Padma, a female worker at the pickle factory and Saleem's caretaker for the last several months as he grew ill. She is in love with Saleem and after his story is completely finished and she knows every detail of his life, she still wants to marry him. So, Saleem agrees and they are married. On their honeymoon trip, the evening of his birthday, they get caught up in the celebration of India's independence, which is a huge celebration each year, and Saleem is crushed by the crowds...his bones mushing into dust.

Were all these events just in Saleem's head throughout his whole life, brought on by the expectations of him being something greater than he was because of his shared birthday with India? Or, did all the mystical, magical things really happen? The long book, with the intricate plot, colorful characters, tragic events, both real life and fiction, and the beautiful writing leaves me wondering still. :-)

Here's the passage where the prophet told Saleem's mother about his life:

"A son...such a son! A son who will never be older than his motherland---neither older nor younger. There will be two heads---but you shall see only one---there will be knees and a nose, a nose and knees. Newspapers praise him, two mothers raise him! Bicyclists love him---but, crowds will shove him! Sisters will weep; cobra will creep. Washing will hide him---voices will guide him! Friends mutilate him---blood will betray him! Spittoons will brain him---doctors will drain him---jungle will claim him---wizards reclaim him! Soldiers will try him---tyrants will fry him. He will have sons without having sons! He will be old before he is old! And he will die...before he is dead."

Of course...I couldn't blog about all of these things, but they all happened in one way or another. In another passage, Padma questions whether some of Saleem's story, especially about the gifted children, is due to his illness:

Reality can have metaphorical content; that does not make it less real. A thousand and one children were born; there were a thousand and one possibilities which had never been present in one place at one time before; and there were a thousand and one dead ends. Midnight's children can be made to represent many things, according to your point of view; they can be seen as the last throw of everything antiquated and retrogressive in our myth-ridden nation, whose defeat was entirely desirable in the contest of modernizing, twentieth-century economy; or as the true hope of freedom, which is now forever extinguished; but what they must not become is the bizarre creation of a rambling, diseased mind. No: illness is neither here nor there.

And lastly, every so often throughout the story, Saleem goes on a bit of a review of his life so far. This is an example of one of those ramblings right before he was being put to sleep to have his nose drained:

There was a washing-chest and a boy who sniffed to hard. His mother undressed and revealed a Black Mango. Voices came, which were not the voices of Archangels. A hand, deafening the left ear. And what grew best in the heat: fantasy, irrationality, lust. There was a clocktower refuge, and cheatery-in-class. And love in Bombay caused a bicycle-accident; horn-temples entered forcep-hollows, and five hundred and eighty-one children visited my head. Midnight's children: who may have been the embodiment of hope of freedom, who may also have been freaks-who-ought-to-be-finished-off. Parvati-the-wtich, most loyal of all, and Shiva, who became a principle of life. There was the question of purpose, and the debate between ideals and things. There were knees and nose and nose and knees. 

ok, I think that's enough for now. :-)