Set as a monologue given by Changez to a man he meets in Lahore – a man who may or may not be a spy – The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a book that not only examines a Pakistani man who is in America during 9-11 but also the question of the reliable or unreliable narrator. Changez’s story details h...
“If you have ever, sir, been through a breakup of a romantic relationship that involved great love, you will perhaps understand what I experienced. There is in such situations usually a moment of passion during which the unthinkable is said; this is followed by a sense of euphoria at finally being l...
The titular fundamentalist in this novel is not only reluctant, but also less than convincing. The back cover of my copy described that Changez, the Pakistani main character, "embraced the Western dream — and a Western woman — and... both betrayed him". But I had to scan through the book again to as...
21/10 - I really enjoyed this book. It was less than 200 pages but there was a surprising amount of plot in those pages. I enjoyed the way it was written with the narrator speaking to a third party that we only get a brief description of and never hear from directly. We guess at what he's saying fro...
I liked this book because of the perspective it offers - more on the United States than Pakistan; it is pretty generic, but, I believe, is a must-read for any hopeful immigrant student in the U.S. The story itself is simple and understated in a good way, but I feel the narrative situation in the boo...
What an amazing, short story this was. First, let me comment on the way of writing: the perspective of a 200-page monologue, or rather one-sided dialogue was entirely new to me. It worked, however. It really did, and is perhaps the best suited way to narrate this story about love, confusion and beli...
A beautifully written book with exquisite prose. It is written in the first person narrative, which is quite unusual, and draws you in.It is an unusual story that is immediately compelling, and whilst some people won't like the ending, i did.
Interesting idea, clunky conceit, ultimately felt both facile and heavy handed. SPOILERS:That said, some of the symbolism is amazing, if not necessarily sophisticated. The notion of fundamentalism as capitalism instead of Islam, represented by a company Underwood Samson (i.e., U.S., i.e., Uncle Sam)...
The allegory is a nice idea and the book touched some nice aspects of the experience of non-Americans living here, and given the author's background they are probably very authentic. In general IMHO what it says about Pakistan is quite interesting to read, what it says about America is stuff we all ...
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