The Ground Beneath Her Feet

Henry Holt and Company

"The Ground Beneath Her Feet," by Salman Rushdie, opens abruptly with a vicious, bloody dream of human sacrifice, in which men "resembling the actor Christopher Plummer" torture and prepare to kill Vina Apsara, the emotionally tortured main character of the novel.

Rushdie pulls in the reader with death and ruin, but gives the black theme a somehow light-hearted twist with the reference to popular culture. He uses this technique throughout the book in an attempt to transform and heighten the importance of the culture, but instead, he only succeeds in minimizing the significance of the story itself in the lives of its characters.

"The Ground Beneath Her Feet" is the life story of Apsara, an internationally known rock 'n' roll star with a voice that the world has never before heard. The story is told from the point of view of the photographer Rai, who was raised as Apsara's younger brother and lived his life with unrequited love for her. Rai details Apsara's rise from an abusive rural American childhood, to a wealthy life as a teenager in India, to her rise as a singing sensation and her love for Ormus Cama, Rai's bitter rival.

Rushdie's characterization is intriguing, especially the complexities of Apsara and the whims of her life. He creates a deep, thorough picture of Apsara's tortured soul. Though seemingly nothing is left to the imagination, she still succeeds in surprising the reader with constantly conflicting (yet somehow justifiable and appropriate) actions.

Rai is also an appealing character, and it's easy to sympathize with him and his affection for Apsara. The biographical nature of Rushdie's epic puts Rai's actions in historical perspective and keeps him from appearing as an overly emotional artist who is simply obsessed with the singer.

These powerful characters, however, aren't utilized to their full potential in Rushdie's work. Although he elicits strong emotions and puts them in an appropriate context, the plot boils down to a simple love story. Any complexities simply appear as pop references and are quickly disregarded, and reappearing themes tend to be simply fluff - the theme song of Cama's tormented world view, "It Shouldn't Have To Be This Way," loses its meaning when sung as a rock 'n' roll refrain.

Carrying the culture references throughout all aspects of the novel, Rushdie tends to occasionally insert a song lyric or rock 'n' roll superstar reference in his writing. This action also tends to minimize the power of his writing and lends a goofball quality to the dramatic work. With a less intense writer, this knowledge of culture would be an advantage, but after Rushdie has drawn in the reader, such references seem out-of-place and throw the reader back out of the novel's world.

"The Ground Beneath Her Feet" will appeal to fans of Rushdie's previous writing, who appreciate the author's offbeat views and sense of humor. Even in small sections, its pop culture references and views create a dazzling picture. But as a whole, the immense work is an overload of images, without enough concrete action to support them.

- Jessica Eaton

05-24-99