The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Mohsin Hamid
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The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Mohsin Hamid
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Overview

208 PAGESENGLISH

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NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!
FILM RELEASE: Scheduled in North America for April 26th.
BIG CAST: Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, Liev Schreiber and Riz Ahmed are featured in this film, directed by Mira Nair (The Namesake).

"[An] elegant and chilling little novel... Hamid's novel... is distinguished by its portrayal of Changez's class aspirations and inner struggle. His resentment is at least in part self-loathing, directed at the American he'd been on his way to becoming... Aptly captures the ethos and hypocrises of the Ivy League meritocracy...  [With] an Arabian Nights-style urgency... The fundamentalist, and potential assassin, may be sitting on either side of the table." --The New York Times

"[A] taut and absolutely absorbing second novel... The Reluctant Fundamentalist is at least as much about the apparent unease felt by the listener -- and reader -- in hearing the story, as it is about the growing sense of cultural displacement described by Changez. Hamid... makes it impossible for the reader to know for certain what danger actually lurks or whether the reader's perceived sense of dread and underlying malice is nothing more than the product of an overactive, media-fed imagination." --Toronto Star

Overall rating: 4.75 / 5 from 8 reviews.

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Reviews

Moshin Hamid, quel auteur. / Moshin Hamid, what a writer.

"Excellent livre, très touchant et écrit d'une plume extraordinaire. Ceci est le livre d'un auteur que je ne connaissais pas avant, mais que j'ai maintenant l'intention de lire plus souvent. / Great book, very touching and written with an extraordinary brilliance. This is the book of an author I did not know prior to reading this book, but that I will now read more often."

Naomie S. (5/5)

Read this novel in less than a day!

"After reading and loving 'Exit West', I wanted to read another novel by this intelligent author. I was not disappointed and read this book in less than a day. It is uniquely and refreshingly written as a monologue. The line that stays with me and that I continue to ponder is "". . . no country inflicts death so readily upon the inhabitants of other countries, frightens so many people so far away, as America'. A very interesting perspective and a very intelligent, thought-provoking read. . ."

Annabel (5/5)

Trendy

"Good book, however, if there is any criticsm to be made, is that it hits upon very topical issues without analysing them in much depth. The book can at times be very predictable and a Little un-imaginative. A good example of this is with Erica's character, Erica being short for America, who symbolises the American dream, one that he never manages to obtain. Still an enjoyable read, maybe just not as iconic as most people would desrcibe it to be"

Mary (4/5)

Amazing

"Very unique sstyle of writing which made the book a thrill to read"

Habeebah (5/5)

Brilliant and thought-provoking

"Mohsin Hamid weaves a brilliant tale of love, loss, and the pursuit of personal integrity, ultimately demonstrating the significance of national and religious identity in a supposedly tolerant postcolonial world. The protagonist is an intelligent, young Pakistani man who ventures from his dilapidated family home in Lahore to the US to obtain an Ivy League education and embark on a career at a prestigious valuation firm in New York City. He immerses himself in the local culture and enjoys a period of financial and social success, which prompts him to begin to regard himself as a proud, open-minded New Yorker. However, when the catastrophic events of 9/11 unfold around him, and the racist and Islamophobic attitudes of much of the general population are abruptly exposed, the cultural differences between the East and the West are accentuated and he becomes progressively more disenchanted with his materialistic, self-absorbed, secular life in the US. When he is rejected by the beautiful American woman with whom he has fallen in love, he is finally pushed past his breaking point and he realizes that his loyalties lie not with the promised land of the US, but with his homeland Pakistan, and that he could not in good conscience continue living as he has in NYC. His ensuing identity crisis and its ramifications provide a disquieting, thought-provoking end to a powerful story."

Kelly (4/5)

Such a good book

"This is one of those books that stick with you, even years later. I have read it several times. Highly recommend!"

Tori (5/5)

Terrific

"Really well done, very happy to have read the book"

Antonello (5/5)

Anything but reluctant

"Hadn't read anything this good in a long time. Mohsin Hamid blew me away with his writing - very unique style. Well thought. Great read. A definite must!"

Kiks (5/5)

Q&A

  • Published date: Apr 08, 2008
  • Language: English
  • No. of Pages: 208
  • Publisher: Doubleday Canada
  • ISBN: 9780385663458
  • Dimensions: 5.17" W x 0.55" L x 7.98" H
Mohsin Hamid grew up in Lahore, attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School and worked for several years as a management consultant in New York. His first novel, Moth Smoke, was published in ten languages and was a winner of a Betty Trask award, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway award, and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His essays and journalism have appeared in Time, The New York Times and The Guardian, among others. Mohsin Hamid currently lives, works and writes in London.

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