The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid
Rating: 8/10
Genre: Psychological Fiction
Published: 2007
Summary: A Pakistani man goes to Princeton University and works for a prestigious financial company in New York. He falls in love with an American women and his perception of the USA changes when the World Trade Centre is attacked. He recounts his observations to an American in the streets of Lahore.
Review: Hamid has simple style and the narrator’s tone is very distinctive which works throughout the novel. Hamid weaves two threads together: the protagonist’s reflection on New York and his conversation with his American friend in Pakistan. This enables Hamid to provide narrative breaks from the main story line and urges the reader to fluctuate from location to location.
Hamid builds pictures of New York and Pakistan clearly, using sensory imagery and precise observations. The book is told from an Eastern perspective with heavy Western influences. The narrator applauds the USA for providing unique experiences, for example, the exclusive job opportunities and the multicultural cuisine and people in NYC. Hamid sets out the differences, but most importantly, the similarities between the East and West using comparisons and specific analogies.
The characters clearly change over time, progressing and regressing. The narrator’s self-realisation concerning the way his job affects others is enjoyable to read as you see his change in perspective of the USA post-9/11. The stereotypes and fear people of colour are subjected to, is brought forth clearly and concisely.
The tone of the narrator hooks the reader in at the start and continues to hold their concentration through an addictive prose style. The politics is set out clearly and is therefore easy to understand. I particularly like the ending for leaving a lasting impression on the reader regarding assumptions and instincts.
There are some flaws though, in my opinion. No other characters are heard – I think the voice of the American would be interesting to hear instead of solely the narrator. Then again, I see why Hamid made this choice. I thought the focus on Erica (the love interest) would dissipate by the half-point mark of the novel. However, there is a great focus on her throughout which does not add to the story because her character is not likeable, to a great extent. I would have liked more depth in the atmosphere and changes surrounding people of colour, post-9/11 rather than details of the petering romance between Erica and the narrator.
The book ends quite abruptly. It is too short! I highly recommend it, as the insights into the narrator’s life and the change he experiences teaches me a lot about ideals and critical thinking.
Hamid manages to connect the span between the West and the East and simultaneously explain the divisions between the two, particularly America’s role in the Middle East, which is still impacting people today. I look forward to reading more of his work.
