Thursday, December 9, 2010

The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid

As I began reading the novel it struck me as light heartened , little did I know that the mere 184 pages had the depth of an ocean ,covering emotions that had only  been grazed over the surface before .  The  lyrical and practical style of the author impressed me a lot. 
This is a story about the inner struggle that a man goes through when he finds himself in a situation ,where he does not know who he is , where , his origin only complicates matters 
On a more straight forward note , this  novel is a narrative , the narrator being  "Changez" . Changez is born and brought up in a Pakistani elite family and goes on to study at Princeton . His personality and qualifications get him a job in a top of the notch service sector enterprise "Underwood Samson". A very diluted presence of love hangs all along , the love by the name of "Erica" . It is saddening that the beauty of this love is felt briefly while the loss of it ( which does happen in due course) is  presence that hangs around forever. Someone once said that when thunder falls , it befalls with all the might of the Gods . A similar situation occurs in Changez's Life A series of events- the 9/11 ,A terrorist attack on India's parliament & breaking down of Erica sucks the fundamentalist out of him  
MY PERSONAL COMMENTS
Changez is the prefect example of an eastern man who embraced A western world , A western woman and A western way of life .... All of which disappointed him.
The novel is so written that it leaves space for a lot of argument and interpretation , it does not force the view of Changez on you neither does it compel you to have a view , it simply states , how the man felt and what were his experiences .
For instance it does make one wonder on the symbolism of the actions of America post 9/11 . The book says and I quote " Your( American ) country's flag invaded new york after the attacks , it was everywhere . Small flags stuck on toothpicks featured in the shrines .They all seemed to proclaim: We are America - Not New York, which in my opinion , means something quite different - the mightiest civilization the world has ever known ; you have slighted us ; beware of our wrath "  
We find Changez in an identity crises more than once , something that many Asians living abroad can relate to . When he visits his home in Pakistan , his repulsion towards his very own "elite" house ( full with cracked paint , and leaking pipes ) makes him realize his dominantly American perspective of life .
This story also highlights the concept of fundamentalism in great depth . If only Changez had stuck to his fundamental principles he would have lived a better life .
Last but simply not the least this novel also encompasses a tender love story , one that does break your heart 
All in all a beautiful novel ,my   rating 4 on 5

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Would definitely like to read the book!

Unknown said...

Would definitely like to read the book!

AnkurGel said...

Nicely reviewed. Added the book in my Wishlist. By the way, does this book related to any real-life situation/narration?
-AnkurGel

Karan Leo Vohra said...

You could say parts of it are true
Some things have been exaggerated and others understated.. situations altered.. but the emotion is 100% true..
The author has similar background to the protagonist , Mohsin Hamid (AUTHOR) was born in 1971 in Lahore , attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School and worked as a management consultant in New York .
The love life is for the most part too tragic to have happened to him , but might have some truth too..
But I guess you should read that book AnkurGel To know more.. Thank you Sonu &amp and AnkurGel for your comments

Karan Leo Vohra said...

Welcome to my blog "Sonu & Oddyssey" and "AnkurGel" . Thank you for your opinions , DO visit often :)