Rushdie somehow blends "reality fiction" and fantasy and makes them both believable-- even when they are components of the same story. Each major character in the story has a unique, personal exile, existing in a world that is all his or her own. It is interesting that the very art of fantasy-writing entails "creating" a world, and that is just what Rushdie has done-- created realities for different characters in different formats.
Perception plays an important role in Shalimar the Clown, and the message within the complex madness of the tale seems to be that the world is made up of perceptions. Each of us has a unique set, and can never fully relate to anyone else's. It is fascinating to enter into the universe constructed by Rushdie and to see how the views of different characters overlap or clash. The results of each interaction end up making the story, and part of the joy in reading Rushdie's work was chronicling each step and example.