The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Mohsin Hamid

READ FOR BOOKERTHON

Over one night, a Pakistani man tells an American stranger about his love affair with a woman and his forced abandonment of America post 911. The resulting chaos of 911, especially for men of his ethnicity, causes Changez to abandon his wish to pursue the American Dream. With shifting beliefs and loyalties he rushes home, only to experience ideological and political inner turmoil.

As a society, you were unwilling to reflect upon the shared pain that united you with those who attacked you. You retreated into myths of your own difference, assumptions of your own superiority. And you acted out these beliefs on the stage of the world, so that the entire planet was rocked by the repercussions of your tantrums, not least my family, now facing war thousands of miles away.

⚈ “This is an honest portrayal of a Muslim man living in New York when the towers come down. It offers new insights into the tragedy and offers reactions and consequences that I had not previously considered. It is an eye-opening and thought-provoking story, written in a personable way, as if we, the reader, are present for his conversations with the American. The narrative between Changez and the American are suspenseful as the motives of both men are slowly revealed. Great characters, great plot, great read.” – Rachel

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Published 2007
Mariner Books
228 pages