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From Publishers Weekly
Hamid's second book (after Moth Smoke) is an intelligent and absorbing 9/11 novel, written from the perspective of Changez, a young Pakistani whose sympathies, despite his fervid immigrant embrace of America, lie with the attackers. The book unfolds as a monologue that Changez delivers to a mysterious American operative over dinner at a Lahore, Pakistan, cafe. Pre-9/11, Princeton graduate Changez is on top of the world: recruited by an elite New York financial company, the 22-year-old quickly earns accolades from his hard-charging supervisor, plunges into Manhattan's hip social whirl and becomes infatuated with Erica, a fellow Princeton graduate pining for her dead boyfriend. But after the towers fall, Changez is subject to intensified scrutiny and physical threats, and his co-workers become markedly less affable as his beard grows in ("a form of protest," he says). Erica is committed to a mental institution, and Changez, upset by his adopted country's "growing and self-righteous rage," slacks off at work and is fired. Despite his off-putting commentary, the damaged Changez comes off as honest and thoughtful, and his creator handles him with a sympathetic grace. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Presented in the form of a monologue, which is a difficult technique to manage in a novel because the author has to ensure plausibility while guarding against monotony, Hamid's second novel succeeds so well it begs the question--what other narrative format than a sustained monologue could have been as appropriate? Generally, this is a 9/11 novel or, rather, a post-9/11 one. But to see it on its own terms, which, because of its distinctive scenario, is impossible not to do, it eludes categorization. A young Pakistani man, educated at Princeton and employed in a highly prestigious financial-analysis firm in New York, was about to start a brilliant career and had fallen for a young woman whose commitment to him, it must be admitted, was partial and elusive when the terrorist attacks occurred. Answering to his own conscience, he could not remain in the U.S. By the pull of his true personal identity, he must return to Pakistan, despite his reluctance to leave the enigmatic but beguiling young woman behind. From the perspective of a few years later, the young man relates his American experiences to an American man he meets in a cafe, whose visit to Lahore may or may not have to do with the young man's recent anti-American activities. This novel's firm, steady, even beautiful voice proclaims the completeness of the soul when personal and global issues are conjoined. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating and brilliant book,
By
This review is from: The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Paperback)
This book is a brilliant presentation of a personal moral position reflecting a complex political situation from the perspective of one single human being, who narrates throughout - a difficult technical achievement which the author brings off very well.The previous review exposes some strands of this narrative but draws conclusions from it that not all may share, and for me underplays the uncertainty of outcome at the story's conclusion. I would also add that in a subtle way the book presents a richness of cultural perspective that is powerfully influential and extends the book beyond either the personal or the political realms. The ambiguity that is woven into this book is one of its major strengths. There are no certainties - personal, political or moral - and this is a book for those who wish to make up their own minds in a world which is frequently presented to us with clear rights and wrongs. If you think that you know the answer to fundamentalism, you don't understand the problem
6 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A tale of place versus opportunity,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Hardcover)
You gotta read this book. It's a dinner table conversation that takes place between two men at a restaurant in Lahore, Pakistan. One will kill the other before the evening ends. Changez ,tells his tale to our unidentified, American guest. It's a tale of place versus opportunity. Up until September 11, 2001, life is a world of opportunities for Changez. He has received a scholarship from Princeton University, been hired by a prestigious accounting firm, and fallen in love with a beautiful girl. Life couldn't be better, especially for a young born to modest means in a developing country. The problem is that he can't separate himself from his connection with that country. His appearance is constantly reflected to him in the eyes of the world following the attacks of September 11. It's symbolized in his love for the beautiful girl who only feels a mutual attraction when he pretends to be her dead boyfriend. It's manifested in the treatment he receives everytime he boards and plane. And it's made real by the confrontation with the publisher of a small publishing company who accuses him of being a Janissary, the perfect soldier being one who's lost his roots. You gotta read the book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
One dimensional character,
By Marcia McKenzie (Monza, Italy) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Paperback)
Changez is a one dimensional character thus diminishing the potential of this novel. He is a product of a wealthy Punjabi family down at the heels. Changez would have reflected these values whereas he comes across as a poor rural misfit rather than a proud, if poor, educated person of a good Lahore family. Education is clearly an important value in his upbringing as he was well-prepared to enter and to excel at Princeton.The author through Changez disregards the problems of Pakistan's doing and blames US interventions. It is not stated in the novel, but Changez would have been a product of the ruling feudal property owners who control (and repress) the Pakistani population. The history of the Punjab and class distinctions in Pakistan are ignored. Indian-Pakistani relations are treated simplistically. American interventions are glibly treated without understanding their complexity. These omissions reflect badly in a character who has been trained to study situations, understand nuance and identify fundamentals (of business and life). As a student at Princeton Changez would have been very much like any student coming from other than the urban elite; there would have been many students who were not part of the "in" crowd. Changez would have found sympathetic friends among both males and females. The novel's structure is interesting but the main character is unbelievable. Could the author have presented his perspective if the main character was well-developed? I think not.
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