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I agree - a great post, BelleZora, thank you. I found the book quite a slog too, but did finish it a couple of days ago. I "diagnosed" Gibreel's schizophrenia part-way through and was happy that we were seeing the world, and Saladin, through his eyes. But then when we went back to Saladin, it seems that the two of them really did fall out of the plane and survive, etc. Of course, maybe Saladin was also suffering from schizophrenia!
But all that is being too literal and I think you are right Belle, that the outward changes signify inner changes to the individuals, at least in part because of the experiences of migration. Saladin was certainly behaving in an evil fashion with his own "satanic verses" in the phone calls he made, and Gibreel was angelic in rescuing Saladin even though he had realised it was Saladin who had destroyed his relationship with Allie.
A strange book, but I'm glad I persevered with it.
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