Is a loose allegory for events in India and Pakistan both before and, primarily, after the independence and partition of India, which took place at midnight on 15 August 1947. The protagonist and narrator of the story is Saleem Sinai, a telepath with an extraordinary nose. The novel is divided into three books. [edit] Book One The first section details both the peculiar roots of the Sinai family and the earlier events leading up to India's Independence and Partition, connecting the two lines both literally and allegorically. Saleem is born at the exact moment that India becomes independent. From that point on, Saleem Sinai feels the pressure of his chronology and invests his life and narrative in describing the zeitgeist of his child- and adulthood. [edit] Book Two During his childhood, Saleem discovers that he, as well as all children born in India between 12 AM and 1 AM on August 15, 1947, are imbued with special powers. A significant portion of the plot details the atte ...more