Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all timeWinner of the Booker of Bookers Saleem Sinai is born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the very moment of Indias independence. Greeted by fireworks displays, cheering crowds, and Prime Minister Nehru himself, Saleem grows up to learn the ominous consequences of this coincidence. His every act is mirrored and magnified in events that sway the course of national affairs his health and well-being are inextricably bound to those of his nation his life is inseparable, at times indistinguishable, from the history of his country. Perhaps most remarkable are the telepathic powers linking him with Indias 1,000 other midnights children, all born in that initial hour and endowed with magical gifts.
