Book Review · 6th March 2020

The Reluctant Fundamentalist*

Mohsin Hamid. Penguin books. (224p) ISBN 9780141029542

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

I initially found the point of view and voice that The Reluctant Fundamentalist was written in extremely difficult to get into, the first few chapters were hard going, but it was so worth the effort in perseverance.

Written from the view of a stranger talking to a stranger at a Lahore café, we explore causes, betrayal, the American dream, cultural expectation and more.

The voice of this novel is extremely distinct, with next to no dialogue between the strangers, the only real dialogue is in the stranger’s reminiscences.

As the evening progresses the story takes a darker turn as if in step with the darkening skies. There is a constant feeling of menace throughout the meeting, and this also progresses with the darkening.

A wonderful novel, worth keeping going through the difficult beginning, which has more to do with the reader than the writer.


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