The Ground Beneath Her Feet

There's fierce intelligence at work in this audiobook, and it's not only Rushdie's. Crossley gives a remarkably perceptive performance in this fanciful, exuberant novel. If Rushdie is a roiling sea, then Crossley is an exquisitely crafted ship, able to ride out every roaring wave. The novel builds around the doomed love affair between Vina Aspara, an Indian-American rock-and-roll legend, and Ormas Cana, a Bombay-born musician captivated by Vina from boyhood. Their story is told by Rai Merchant, a world-famous photographer and childhood friend of both, who himself harbors a secret longing for Vina. The story careens across three continents and four decades, introducing a score of exotic, brilliantly etched characters. All of them are fully animated by Crossley, whose wry, sardonic and sly reading is never short of captivating. M.O. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

Starred review from March 29, 1999
Time and space, understood conventionally, have never been enough for Rushdie's antic imagination, and here he needs two parallel universes to contain this playful, highly allusive journey through the last 40 years of pop culture. Ormus Cama, a supernaturally gifted musician, and his beloved, Vina Apsara, a half-Indian woman with a soul-thrilling voice, meet in Bombay in the late '50s, discover rock and roll, and form a band that goes on to become the world's most popular musical act. Narrator Rai Merchant, their lifelong friend, is a world-famous photographer and Vina's "backdoor man." Rai tells the story of their great, abiding love (both are named for love gods: Cama as in Kama Sutra, and Vina for Venus), which thrives on obstacles. At first Vina is underage, and Ormus swears not to touch her until she turns 16; then, after one night of love, she disappears for a decade, returning only to rescue Ormus from a near fatal coma. While he swears chastity for a decade, Vina tests their commitment with a string of other lovers, of whom only Rai is kept secret. Ultimately, Ormus and Vina reenact the Orpheus myth, not once but twice. And this is only the heart of a plot whose action moves from Bombay to London to Manhattan. Rai's work as photographer underwrites meditations on 20th-century art and journalism. Rock and roll inspires endless fun, as Rushdie sprinkles lyrics into his narrative, and scrambles pop music names and history--Elvis Presley becomes Jesse Garon Parker, for instance. History is scrambled, too: Watergate turns out to be nothing more than a pulp thriller. The reader slowly discovers that the novel is set in a universe parallel to our own, and the characters catch glimpses of an alternate reality that looks more like our actual world. Despite many comic and dazzling passages, the hyperbole, the scrambled allusions and the parallel universes eventually become wearying. While not one of his masterpieces, this flawed giant is a spirited, head-spinning entertainment from a writer of undeniable genius. Agent: The Wylie Agency. Rights sold in Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the U.K.

Christopher Cazenove takes a heroic stab at this modern version of a Greek epic. Childhood friend and companion Rai Merchant narrates this tale of Ormus Cana and Vina Apsara, an unlikely pair of misfits who become rock legends. While Ormus and Vina live in a fantasy world removed from everyday life, Rai acts as the voice of reason, staying firmly rooted in the real world. Cazenove moves easily from one character to another, taking the story from India to New York and London and beyond. He travels through time with each character, bringing Rushdie's vibrant protagonists to life. Cazenove's talent shines when he presents supercharged emotions during arguments, switching handily from Ormus to Vina to Rai and back again. A seamless performance of an excellent story. H.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine