Mercurochrome

This chapter jumps around so much but is clearly leading up to the Amritsar massacre. Again, I am not knowledgeable about Indian history, so I looked it up on Wikipedia. Peaceful protesters gathering to contest the current regime? Sounds a lot like the middle east today. Once again, Aziz’s nose plays a prominent role, this time saving him from being killed with the others.

It also introduces us to Aziz and Naseem as a young married couple and the centrality of the bedsheet. I enjoyed getting to know Naseem the way Aziz did, one body part at a time. Her father and the lady wrestlers are hilarious. I loved Ghani’s support of their early get togethers in the name of the “doctor-patient relationship.” And the “move, I mean, like a woman” quote made me laugh.

And once again, I like how he jumps back and forth temporally. Page 28-29 takes us from the writer’s grandparents wedding, to his unfortunate encounter as a child with their consummation bedsheet, to the contemporary Dung discussion with Padma, to the April 1919 political events.

But what about nonlinearity on pages 24-27? This confused me, Grant, and I had to reread. Tais’ decision not to wash, Aziz’s parents’ deaths, back to the perforated sheet, the bus with Ilse Lubin’s picture, Ghani pushing Aziz and Naseem closer, talking with Ilse about Oskar’s death, Aziz’s job offer, admitting to Ilse he’s in love with Naseem, back to Aziz and Naseem, proposing to his father-in-law, to Ilse drowning. He’s making some connection between Naseem, Tai, and Ilse. But I’m not sure at this point what that connection might be.

I am a still appreciative of his excellent character descriptions: Padma. She’s a pig, no? Rushdie never says she is one, but he uses the P alliteratively in the first sentence and describes her as a plump jolly “bitch in the manger.” So illustrative. I love the “Dung” interlude on page 29: “the nether end of cattle” made me laugh. I wonder what role she will have as the book progresses.

I wonder why he used Mercurochrome as the chapter's title. It’s a topical antiseptic, and for sure, he makes a point of it being indistinguishable in color from blood. But what does it have to do with the larger narrative?

Just another comment about my writing insecurities, Grant. I am a scientific writer. And not even really – I’m a surgery junkie who likes to pretend like he can write scientifically. I write this blog and sense my pseudo-scientific dribble coming out on the page. If you’ll forgive me for this, I’ll continue blogging because I’m having fun.