Thanks, Belle Zora for your insights.

I like the flow of words in this book, which is at times very poetic.
There is also a depth in this book, which I feel I cannot grasp in one reading; I am tempted to look up all Rushdie refers to in his text and that just won't do. I'll save it for the second reading, if I come to it.
In the meantime, I enjoy this book and juggle the different story lines.