A review by benjobuks
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
4.0
Rushdie follows three generations leading up to the narrator: a man born at the exact moment of India's independence. Accordingly, much of his ancestry and life story are allegorical with India's origins development as a nation state. It follows a decently typical multi-generational tale, starting in the 'wild' of rural Kashmir with a German-educated doctor returning home to the tumult of home, going to the city where the narrator's mother grows up amid the chaos of Agra and later Mumbai.
As with any allegorical story, the metaphor can land a bit too heavily, and the narrator's indulgent literary voice doesn't always help. That said, the writing is beautiful and I can think of very little writing at this scale that isn't somewhat indulgent. Rushdie takes incredible lengths to explain the political, religious, cultural and colonial complexities of India before and after independence, including ongoing struggles between Hindu and Muslim communities and I was left with a much richer vision of India's history as a result.
I didn't always enjoy reading the book, but I always looked forward to returning to the magic, mystery and vibrancy of Rushdie's writing and the characters he created.
As with any allegorical story, the metaphor can land a bit too heavily, and the narrator's indulgent literary voice doesn't always help. That said, the writing is beautiful and I can think of very little writing at this scale that isn't somewhat indulgent. Rushdie takes incredible lengths to explain the political, religious, cultural and colonial complexities of India before and after independence, including ongoing struggles between Hindu and Muslim communities and I was left with a much richer vision of India's history as a result.
I didn't always enjoy reading the book, but I always looked forward to returning to the magic, mystery and vibrancy of Rushdie's writing and the characters he created.