Revolution #115, January 13, 2008
Check it Out
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Readers of Revolution who want insight into the relationship between the United States and Pakistan should check out The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid. This short novel is set in an open-market café in Lahore, Pakistan. Here, as evening falls, Changez tells his story to a shadowy American. Once comfortable and successful in the United States, Changez had his world turned upside down in the aftermath of September 11th, eventually returning to his native Pakistan. The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a fast-paced mystery full of metaphor. Who is the ominous American sharing dinner with Changez? How will the evening end for him, and for Changez? As Changez’ tale unfolds, you will meet an angry driver in Manila, workers being outsourced and laid off from a cable company in New Jersey, the manager of an unprofitable publishing imprint in Chile, and an emotionally scarred American woman who Changez tries to love. And you will feel how America feels to a young man in a hot outdoor market in Lahore.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid is available at mainstream bookstores and at amazon.com.
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