Reviewed by Sue Esterman
Rushdie has created a wildly imaginative work of intertwined stories, plots and characters from this world and another one. The book is set in New York in a post-catastrophe future; there has been a crack in the fabric of the world so that the jinns can get in. They do, of course, and create havoc and mischief as they interfere in the lives of the main characters – many of whom are part-jinn without being aware.
There is a vast field of characters – the earth-bound include Mr Geronimo, a gardener who wakes up one morning to find that his feet no longer touch the ground, rather disconcertingly. He carries on his life regardless. There’s also an orphaned baby who is adopted by the Mayor of New York after she realises that the baby has the ability to spot corruption in anyone who comes near her. Usefully, those who are corrupt or have evil intent spontaneously develop boils or other skin infections, so the Mayor’s life is made easier. And that’s just two of the characters in a cast of what seems like hundreds. Read on
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