(no subject)

There's been no sign of Liem's "kangaroo" bag, so it looks like it's lost for good. I have to admit I was expecting this, but it still feels disappointing that no-one would hand it in. In all likelihood, it could only have been left in the food court for half an hour at most, the place was regularly cleaned and the information desk was just thirty metres away. Someone had to have seen what was obviously a child's possession, with no owner in sight, and either decided to take it or thrown it away. Perhaps they had a reason. Perhaps it's making some other child happy now. It still feels a bit sad to discover that the world is not quite as you thought.

Midnight's Children update

I've just reached the end of "Book One" (the first 150 pages), at which point, I shall scream with both rage and joy at the narrator's latest plot twist. (Such is the strength of Saleem Sinai's character, there's never any question that these are his twists and not Rushdie's.) I wish I could write a character half as vivid as Padma and all we've heard so far is her interjections.

It's also interesting how many resonances there are with Ruchir Joshi's The Last Jet Engine Laugh. I wonder if Joshi was directly influenced by Rushdie, or if they both drew on a common source.