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W's Reviews > The Reluctant Fundamentalist
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
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Generally,I'm a bit wary of Booker nominees,but in this case they got it right.It would have been a lot better if this book had actually won the Booker Prize,instead of merely being shortlisted.
However,the nomination generated quite a buzz,and introduced me to Mohsin Hamid.And oh boy,his first two books were very impressive.
I read it in one sitting,a short and very interesting book,which held my interest from the very first page to the last.It explores a young Pakistani man's drift into extremism,after he has spent a good part of his life studying and working in the US.
There is one thing though,the protagonist Changez,doesn't really appear the type to become a fundamentalist,so suddenly,as 9/11 happens.He has a good job and is well settled in the US.
However,the book reminded me of the real life case of Faisal Shehzad,a Pakistani man who was arrested in the US in 2010 for trying to blow something up.But Faisal Shehzad was struggling with his job and had already become radicalized.
With this book,Mohsin Hamid took a gamble.It could easily have flopped,given the sensitivity of the subject and the anti Muslim feeling in the West,following 9/11 and the actions of the hijackers.Instead,it became a bestseller.
It is a fascinating book,one which also depicts the dilemmas of those caught between two worlds,the East and the West.They don't quite fit in either world.
It is just too bad that after this book,the quality of Mohsin Hamid's writing went downhill,as far as I am concerned.
However,the nomination generated quite a buzz,and introduced me to Mohsin Hamid.And oh boy,his first two books were very impressive.
I read it in one sitting,a short and very interesting book,which held my interest from the very first page to the last.It explores a young Pakistani man's drift into extremism,after he has spent a good part of his life studying and working in the US.
There is one thing though,the protagonist Changez,doesn't really appear the type to become a fundamentalist,so suddenly,as 9/11 happens.He has a good job and is well settled in the US.
However,the book reminded me of the real life case of Faisal Shehzad,a Pakistani man who was arrested in the US in 2010 for trying to blow something up.But Faisal Shehzad was struggling with his job and had already become radicalized.
With this book,Mohsin Hamid took a gamble.It could easily have flopped,given the sensitivity of the subject and the anti Muslim feeling in the West,following 9/11 and the actions of the hijackers.Instead,it became a bestseller.
It is a fascinating book,one which also depicts the dilemmas of those caught between two worlds,the East and the West.They don't quite fit in either world.
It is just too bad that after this book,the quality of Mohsin Hamid's writing went downhill,as far as I am concerned.
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Saad
(new)
Oct 22, 2019 04:58PM
i hav'nt read it nor watched the movie but read and heard lot about it the movie version is not well received one, many say it has too much Indian bias in it what say you
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Well,the movie had to be dramatised a bit.The book is in the form of a monologue.The movie does include references to terrorism,but unfortunately,Pakistan has suffered so much because of it,anyway.
The book is much better than the movie,however.
Really good plot .. wish he knew how to write good prose
He knew that,before Exit West.
Thanks, for your review. I think I will give this one a try.
I never read this one but I did enjoy Moth Smoke and even Exit West (although it wasn't without its problems)
