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Satanic Verses comes to mind. Bought that to see what all the fuss was about back when it came out.

Just didn't see it. Having a price put on one's head does wonders for book sales, though. ;-)

Rushdie's birthplace, Bombay, plays a big part in that novel as it does in several of his other novels, so familiarity with the city, it's neighborhoods, it's slang, and Bollywood films helps a lot. An understanding of Islam and it's myths is also helpful. Along with Midnight's Children and The Moor's Last Sigh, it's one of my favorite Rushdie novels.

But it isn't an easy read. I'd be amazed if any of the Iranian mullahs who sentenced Rushdie to death had ever read it, let alone understood it.

An understanding of Islam and it's myths is also helpful.

Well, I have a bit of a grasp on that. And while I haven't been to Bombay, I have enjoyed other novels set in India, particularly during the time of the British Raj. M.M. Kaye's Far Pavilions was great fun to read, for example.

I just found SV to be a bit dry and had a tendency to wander all over the place. But that's just my taste. I did enjoy a couple of his ex-wife Marianne's books, although she's a bit heavy on the liberal symbolism.