Magical Realism is a style of writing where imaginary or magical or mythical elements are woven in with realistic elements, and are presented as if they are expected and accepted parts of reality. It has similarities with the dreamlike qualities of Surrealism, so Dali's paintings are worth considering, including his famous "Persistence of Memory." Note how the rocky terrain in the background and the sky are presented in realistic ways, which can encourage one to view the foreground in this realistic manner as well, which is clearly not the case.
Miles and I looked at Salvadore Dali's "The Persistence of Memory." Some of this is an interview of sorts and some if a "think aloud" on my part.
Q= Mr. Chamberlain; Miles = Miles.
Miles: I think the creature on the ground resembles a horse. The clock looks a saddle.
Q: Wow, in all the times I've looked at this picture, it's never occurred to me that the stopwatch on the creature lying there is saddle, and that the creature is akin to a horse. That was perceptive! I've only noticed the gray color and the moustache, so I've thought it represented Dali or a human. But let's run with the horse idea. Hmm, since I think in terms of myth sometimes, let's consider the centaur, the half-man, half-horse creature in Greek mythology. Okay, if the horse is like a centaur, the half-man, half-horse mythical creature, how is the human body, the horse side of our lives, affected by or saddled by time?
Miles: We only have a certain amount of time to be as good as you want, to do whatever you want.
Q: How do you feel when you are pressured by time?
Miles: When you are pressured by time, you feel rushed and uncomfortable.
In the painting, these things all ran out of time, the horse, the tree, the table.
Q: How do they look?
Miles: They look worn down, maybe like forgotten.
Q: That's true and that's curious, because this is about memory. Maybe in some people, memories are not that important, but to the rememberer, they can be persistent and important to one's identity.
So this is how magical realism can work. The images can be rich and suggestive, while the backdrop has a sense of realism. There is a strong political and social reality present in Rushdie's writing, within the context of his storytelling.
Adding to Miles's perceptive interpretation of the stopwatch being a saddle, and the creature, a horse, I was intrigued to have that confirmed by Dali himself, because later on Dali created a sculpture called "Horse Saddled with Time":
"Horse Saddled With Time" Sculpture By Salvador Dali (source)
From the "Alarm-Clock Blog" and this web address:
"In the case of the “Horse Saddled With Time” sculpture, time is depicted as a burden being taken away by a quickly moving beast of burden, making the impression that time is a quickly passing burden. The lone barren tree seen often in Dali’s paintings is said to reflect either how time kills living things or how time may seem empty. However his art is perceived by the viewer is left to their individual appreciation and perspective."
You can interpret time being the burden carried away by the horse, or the horse burdened by the weight of time.
So even though Dali's painting has a baffling, surreal quality, by asking questions and making observations and associations, we can build interpretations. The same is true for interpreting literature written with qualities of Magical Realism.
-- Mr. Chamberlain