Review - Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Synopsis from B&N:

Saleem Sinai is born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the very moment of India’s independence. Greeted by fireworks displays, cheering crowds, and Prime Minister Nehru himself, Saleem grows up to learn the ominous consequences of this coincidence. His every act is mirrored and magnified in events that sway the course of national affairs; his health and well-being are inextricably bound to those of his nation; his life is inseparable, at times indistinguishable, from the history of his country. Perhaps most remarkable are the telepathic powers linking him with India’s 1,000 other “midnight’s children,” all born in that initial hour and endowed with magical gifts.

This novel is at once a fascinating family saga and an astonishing evocation of a vast land and its people–a brilliant incarnation of the universal human comedy. Twenty-five years after its publication, Midnight’s Children stands apart as both an epochal work of fiction and a brilliant performance by one of the great literary voices of our time.

My thoughts:

Well. I think this is a novel I would like to read as part of a class - there is so much going on, dealing with events in history I don't know about or understand, that I believe much of the book just flew right over my head.

That being said, it was certainly an interesting read. I've mentioned before that I struggle with books that use magical realism, and this was, again, a struggle in this novel. I don't know exactly why it's so difficult for me, but it always trips me up. This novel is chock full of it, pretty much from page one, so it made it slow going - I've been chipping away at it for the better part of 2 weeks.

I was initially concerned about the style - here's the first paragraph, so you understand what I mean.

“I was born in the city of Bombay… once upon a time. No, that won’t do, there’s no getting away from the date: I was born in Doctor Narlikar’s Nursing Home on August 15th 1947. And the time? The time matters, too. Well then: at night. No, it’s important to be more… On the stroke of midnight, as a matter of fact. Clock-hands joined palms in respectful greeting as I came. Oh, spell it out, spell it out: at the precise instant of India’s arrival at independence, I tumbled forth into the world. There were gasps. And, outside the window, fireworks and crowds. A few seconds later, my father broke his big toe; but his accident was a mere trifle when set beside what had befallen me in that benighted moment, because thanks to the occult tyrannies of those blindly saluting clocks I had been mysteriously handcuffed to history, my destinies indissolubly chained to those of my country. For the next three decades, there was to be no escape. Soothsayers had prophesied me, newspapers celebrated my arrival, politicos ratified my authenticity. I was left entirely without a say in the matter. I, Saleem Sinai, later variously called Snotnose, Stainface, Baldy, Sniffer, Budha and even Piece-of-the-Moon, had become heavily embroiled in Fate – at the best of times a dangerous sort of involvement. And I couldn’t even wipe my own nose at the time.”

It's very stream-of-consciousness, which can take some getting used to. Once I got some 100 pages into the novel, that didn't really bother me anymore, and Saleem is certainly a charming narrator. Again, there is just SO MUCH to this novel, that trying to figure out what I was missing started to make me lose the flow much of the time.

I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed the novel - I did find it interesting, and I'm glad I read it, but it was more of an experience than a joy.

Now I want to hear from the people that loved it - I know you're out there! What am I missing? I'd love to be enlightened!

Finished: 4/23/09
Source: Franklin Avenue library
Rating: 6/10

TSS - Review - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Finished: 2/16/09
Source: my sister (Thanks, Carolynn!)
Rating: 9/10

Synopsis from B&N:

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . . Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.


My thoughts:


It's almost difficult to put into words exactly how good this book is. I don't hesitate to say that I'm a Neil Gaiman fan - I believe he is one of the best storytellers of our generation, and I always have high expectations for his work. So when I say this novel exceeded my expectations, what I mean is that I'm not sure I have, even yet, realized exactly how brilliant it is.

Gaiman talks in his introduction about how much he owns to Kipling's "The Jungle Book", and the parallels are easy to see - a real, live boy, raised apart from his family by creatures not like himself, figuring out which world he truly belongs in - Gaiman does this sort of thing in many of his novels, and I think it works particularly well here. His characters are interesting, a little creepy, and somewhat mysterious, and he always leaves the reader a little bit of room for their own imagination.

He also doesn't force a "happily-ever-after" ending - I don't want to give too much away, but he allows the natural progression of the story, even though it doesn't end with happiness and joy, and the book is better for it. It is never a light, happy read - it does, after all, take place in a graveyard - but Gaiman's humor keeps it from feeling like a downer. Bod does his share of silly, impulsive things, and there are beautiful moments, as well, that make reading the book a pleasure.

Each time I think about it, I remember something else I loved. This is a novel I will certainly read again, and I'm sure discover more to enjoy. I'm thrilled for the author that it won this year's Newbery - I believe it deserves the praise.

And because I can never stop at just one....

I'm going to join this one as well. All I have to do is experience 42 science fiction items - books, movies, tv episodes, short stories, etc. by the end of 2009. This one will be a breeze, as Battlestar Galactica is going to be ending sometime around then, and each episode counts as 1 entry! This one is going to be right up my alley.




And while I am at it..




I am going to join this one too. (See, I knew as soon as I did one the floodgates would open.) For this challenge I have to pick 10 award winners to read over 10 months, from at least 5 different award categories. I don't have to have my final list yet, so here are the current list of possibilities:


Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson (Arthur C. Clarke)
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (Man Booker) - finished 4/23/09, rated 6/10
An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (Costa/Whitbread)
The In-Between World of Vikram Lal by M.G. Vassanji (Giller)
Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards (Giller)
The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy (Governor General)
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Hugo)
This Blinding Absence of Light by Taher Ben Jelloun (IMPAC Dublin)
The Known World by Edward P. Jones (IMPAC Dublin)
Sacred Country by Rose Tremain (James Tait Black)
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (NBCC)
Atonement by Ian McEwan (NBCC)
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (Hugo and Nebula)
Half of a Yellow Sun by Adichie (Orange)
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale (Samuel Johnson prize) finished 8/12/08
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Newbery) - finished 2/16/09, rated 9/10
Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand by Gioconda Belli (Biblioteca Breve) finished 3/19/09, rated 7/10