Midnight's Children

People that were born right at the time of India's independence were special. The closer to midnight, the more extreme the powers. This book chronicles the history of India together with that of the people. One kid had the ability to read other people's minds. He would have to endure hearing all the "adult" thoughts of people around him. People didn't believe the powers. Eventually kids banded together.

Shalimar the Clown

Shalimar the Clown starts out as boring romance, but gradually works its way into a well written story. The namesake Shalimar is a Kashmiri circus performer who see his livelihood fade away with the coming of television. To make matters worse, his fiance decides to go off to perform in the city. There she has an affair with an American diplomat and bears a child. He vows revenge, and seeks to destroy the fiance, the American and their illegitimate child. He is caught after murdering the diplomat, but escapes the prison using his tightrope walking skills and later tries to kill the daughter. The novel ends with the attempt (though it strongly implies that he is the one that dies.)
Most of the novel is spent in flashbacks developing the history of the characters. The American diplomat was a European Jew who had a daring escape from Nazi controlled France. He had a history of difficulty controlling his amorous passions. He later immigrated to the United States and became a minor celebrity before rising up the diplomatic ranks to became ambassador and counter-terrorism specialist. Shalimar's fiance was a dancer. She was disowned by her community after the affair, but gradually started to work her way back into their graces. Her daughter was taken by the ambassador's wife. She was not a great parent, and the daughter lived a troubled youth, only really developing skills at fighting. The flashbacks help to build the characters but leave the story moving along at a plodding pace. At times it feels like it is just a contrast between Nazi Europe and modern separatist fighting in Kashmir. However, it later becomes clear that these are just the backdrop of a story of love, lust and revenge.