The Reluctant Fundamentalist: A Man Booker Prize-Shortlisted Literary Novel of Love, Identity, and the American Dream

This is a very well written work of fiction by a Pakistani novelist. The story starts with an extremely intelligent and well educated Pakistani speaking to an American. The setting is Pakistan. The protagonist describes, from his view, his experiences in America and of Americans. The protagonist was working in America, for an American Company, before and after Sep. 11, 2001. I fear saying much more about content as I have no desire to diminish one's reading experience. The novel has a semi autobiographical aspect to it. The protagonist is a Pakistani was educated at Princeton. Mohsin Hamid, the author, is a Pakistani educated at Princeton. I feel I have not read enough author's from Asia and intend to correct that. The novel itself is both unusual to my experience and very well written. There is suspense that slowly builds that I felt was the product of superior writing skills. I read this book on Kindle while listening to the audiobook simultaneously. The narrator of the audiobook is Satya Bhabha. Up until the last few of Chapter 3 the audiobook was a perfect reproduction of this excellent novel. Mr. Bhabha's narration has been excellent and has added to the reading experience. However a significant part of the end of Chapter 3 is completely missing. It is an important part of the story and if one only listens to the audiobook one will miss it, I think without knowing it. It is approximately the last five paragraphs. One can still comprehend the story, if one only listens to the audiobook, but the reading experience is altered, and not for the better. Similarly, the last two paragraphs of Chapter 9 are missing. The narration of this chapter ends at the end of a paragraph. Once again, I believe if one only listens to the audiobook, one will not be able to detect this. Once again, the story does not become incomprehensible, but is, I think, diminished. I paid very little more for the Kindle and audiobook combination than I would have for just the audiobook and I am glad I did so. Thank You...

Reading a NY Times best-seller initially attracted my interest. It was a complex read from the first page. The bombing of the Twin Towers leaves a Pakistani native bereft, longing for cohesion among family and friends, while laboring through a prestigious "sanitary" job in white collar NYC. Among native friends he was accepted as an equal in his class; in America he was fundamentally an outcast due to his native Muslim/Pakistani roots, his non-standard physical bearing, and his personal peculiarities. Princeton educated but lonely and far removed from his roots (family, friends, peers), he was essentially challenged to remain open-hearted and emotionally alive in the USA. To achieve personal self-mastery outside of these familial parameters (in his mind) is to die a thousand deaths due to disenchantment with the whole game of modern life. His heart begins to change in subtle ways. The drama is acute at the end. A real-page-turner. My visceral reaction is that there is much more to the end game of this short story, and it is never quite resolved/finished. Explanations are wanting. I found myself craving a real discussion afterwards to further open up the beauty, depth, and love I found in this very well-written 1st person (semi-autobiographical?) expose. There is also a motion picture of the same title. I look forward to watching it soon.

This is an outstanding, creatively imagined story which manages to give many of us non-Islamic folks a glimpse into what being Islamic in the U.S. must have been like after 9/11. The story takes place in Pakistan (Lahore) as Changez, once a successful immigrant in the U.S., relates his story to an unnamed American. From a privileged, but poor family, Changez manages to get into Princeton and graduate with honors. He lands a highly sought after and highly paid position with a New York "valuation" firm which tells companies what they are worth. He loves New York, falls in love with an American woman, and has more money than he ever anticipated. But after Sept. 11Changez not only finds himself being viewed differently, but begins to view himself differently as well. He suddenly decides to grow a beard which draws even more attention to himself and begins to question his role in the U.S. In the meantime, his relationship with the woman he loves changes for reasons not related to Sept. 11, but also makes him question some essential questions. While the unnamed and unheard American in the cafe could be a mere foil, Hamid manages to create an interesting character we know only through the eyes of Changez. The American's own visit to Pakistan is questionable and Changez works hard to assure the man of his safety. By the end of the novel you are surprised to find yourself in a page-turning, suspense-filled plot (and I'm not giving away any endings). Hamid's narrative is tight and well controlled. At times I questioned the strange romantic relationship, but at the end of the novel we see that it serves to show us another side of the U.S. and Changez's relationship to it. It also teaches about Changez as a person, although we can see how he may appear distant to others. His work at the "valuation" firm is a high stakes position in which his answers determine the fate of others. When this begins to bother him he is encouraged to separate himself from the results since anyone could produce them -- it is nothing personal and he does not make the decisions. But Changez recognizes his role in the process. It is this role which we build out upon as Changez begins to see the role he plays in other areas of his life. What he recognizes is that passivity is not an option. To use the existentialist formula, "not to choose is to choose." In other words, he moves from passivity to action which seems to surprise many, including himself. But is he really changing or simply becoming for himself? That is up to the reader to decide. Regardless of the answer, Hamid's book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand more of what is happening in the world today. There are no simple answers, but there is insight.

This book is very well written and a gripping narative. I loved reading it, and I learned much from the content. The book is very prescient. For many reasons - not least of which is the 'fear' being engendered in the community of 'outsiders' - I urge you to read this book. It should be required reading.

Dopo aver divorato "Moth smoke", non ho resistito a tuffarmi nella lettura di questo secondo romanzo di Mohsin Hamid. Decisamente un'ottima scelta. Da leggere rigorosamente in lingua originale, anche in questo caso l'autore si lancia in un'ardita sperimentazione stilistica, vale a dire una narrazione basata interamente sul dialogo fra il protagonista-io-narrante Changez ed uno sconosciuto interlocutore occidentale, nel contesto di un caffé di Lahore. Gli elementi autobiografici sono evidenti: sia l'autore sia Changez hanno infatti ottenuto un prestigioso titolo accademico alla Princeton University. L'opera è incentrata sull'ascesa e declino di Changez, dai suoi risultati universitari impeccabili ad un prestigioso lavoro di consulente aziendale, passando per un "dysfunctional affair" per arrivare ad una situazione di disillusione verso il modello occidentale e le sue promesse di inevitabile felicità. Hamid - sospeso lui stesso fra Primo e Terzo Mondo - non ci offre soluzioni lineari e facilmente digeribili: il suo mondo letterario è complesso e non si presta a facili semplificazioni. Passate oltre se intendente lanciarvi in una crociata anti-occidentale. Al contempo nella narrazione si innestano frequenti digressioni narrative, nella forma di descrizioni della vita sociale di Lahore. L'utilizzo della lingua inglese è magistrale, con parole forbite che si mesconolano con registri più familiari. Una lettura assolutamente consigliata per locutori di livello inglese C1 o C2.

First, the storytelling approach is very compelling; you feel like you can’t put down the book as you are listening to a conversation. Thought provoking and requires a step back to view America in positive and not so positive yet doing so in a soft almost non confrontational manner. A very enjoyable read.

Novela breve y profunda. Te hace ver la realidad desde otra perspectiva. El sueño americano no siempre es lo que quieren la mayoría de las personas, cuando te das cuenta de lo que realmente representa.

I just bought this novel by the interesting title, but it turned out to be way more interesting! This novel is a mixture of political revelation and sad romance. I daresay that all the other races except Caucasians can share with the protagonist the insight of America, the country which invade other countries, wreaking havoc. At the same time, however, it is a fact that we owe this masterpiece to America, which is the powerful source of human creativity. Once again, I'm entrapped by ambivalence about America.