"To be born again, first you have to die." That is the metaphor that runs throughout this book. Talk about religion and disrespecting others beliefs are irrelevant, because they have nothing to do with the content of this novel. This is a book about being reborn, about experiencing life new after excruciating difficulty. And about the misperceptions that others have about the innocent and the guilty. If it's difficult to follow Rushdie's broken phrases and foreign idioms, slow down. There is beautiful wisdom in those segmented expressions. Jokes about sensationalism, raz-ma-taz, and the cultural significance of pop-stars aside, there is a deep undercurrent of emotional awareness and the truth of introspection. There is a pinch of the supernatural mixed with a heavy dose of brutal reality. There are many who treat reading this book as an act of defiance against religious intolerance. The poor fools have bought into the popular-culture narrative. This is a book about self-awareness and the awakening that occurs when we relinquish dreams for reality.

Then you will like this book.

Nothing special. Obviously a lack of command of the language coupled with a cliché filled narrative. I could have as well called myself a writer if all my above mistakes can pass as creativity. What a waste of time and money. Btw I am one of those the "imagined content" relates to.

with his original writing style, rushdie has created a work so deeply realized and incredibly symbolic, especially for those to whom it relates...