Scribbling by night under the watchful eyes of his lover Padma, Saleem’s frame narrative echoes that of "1001 Nights," where a woman named Scheherazade tells her king a series of stories to keep herself alive.
Garabateada por la noche bajo la atenta mirada de su amante Padma, la narrativa estructural de Saleem repite la de "1001 Noches", en el que una mujer llamada Sherazade le cuenta al rey una serie de historias para mantenerse con vida.