Midnight's Children

Born at the stroke of midnight at the exact moment of India's independence, Saleem Sinai is a special child. However, this coincidence of birth has consequences he is not prepared for: telepathic powers connect him with 1,000 other 'midnight's children' all of whom are endowed with unusual gifts. Inextricably linked to his nation, Saleem's story is a whirlwind of disasters and triumphs that mirrors the course of modern India at its most impossible and glorious

Review: A magical-realist reflection of the issues India faced post-independence including culture, language, religion, and politics... It's a truly incredible work. -- Jack Rear * Verdict *

The extraordinary alchemy of Midnight's Children was its miraculous fusion of the fantastical and the historical. -- Jereme Boyd Maunsell * Evening Standard *

A wonderful, rich and humane novel that is safe to call a classic. -- Sam Jordison * Guardian *

Rushdie's novel took a post-colonial "empire fights back" spirit, and a deep personal understanding of the politics of Indian partition, and exploded them into something teeming with imaginative life... He inhabits a hybrid consciousness, with a telepathic connection to the other children of midnight, and tells its stories for all he is worth. -- Tim Adams * Observer *

One of the most important books to come out of the English-speaking world in this generation * The New York Review of Books *

Prizes: Short-listed for Best of the Booker 2008.