Reviews - The Reluctant Fundamentalist

1.96k reviews for:

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Mohsin Hamid

3.72 AVERAGE

alphanancy's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

rirob54's review against another edition

5.0

Watching Mira Nair's adaptation reminded me of how much I loved this novel. Moshin Hamid's protagonist is a Pakistani-born, Princeton-educated Wall St. analyst on the fast track for success. However, his path is irrevocably changed after the World Trade Center towers collapse on 9/11. In the book Changez, the protagonist, narrates his life to a mysterious American in Lahore, Pakistan, where he has become a lecturer at a University. The storytelling in the novel is brilliant.

Mira Nair's adaptation is good but absolutely read the book first - the movie builds out the character of the American; watching the movie first will rob you of the incredible suspense and magnificent pacing of the novel.

alicyagrace's review against another edition

3.25

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

barbaraalfond's review against another edition

4.0

This slim but powerful monologue, in the guise of a novel, was a perfectly-formed and executed rumination into American economic power and its ability to seduce not only individuals, but societies, allies, and nation states. It is so deceptively simple, and so powerful, that I think I will mark the Blizzard of 2022 by pondering it as I prepare dinner— and then watch the film tonight. I am late, late, late to this book, first published in 2007 and pre-dating the author’s unforgettable Exit West, but it has a message and a style that seems to have held up admirably.

calamityin's review against another edition

2.0

challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

My second time reading this (the first was 2019) and I definitely did not remember it well. Both times it's been an assigned reading for a class, (American War Literature for my BA and then Creative Contexts for my MA) and I'm not sure I would ever pick this up if I wasn't told I had to.

Content Warnings

cheerbrarian's review against another edition

5.0

With all that is going on in our world, and specifically in our country due to the orange baboon in charge, my friend and I decided we wanted to do something to educate ourselves, specifically regarding Muslim people. Sort of a "fight the piles of ignorance with education" personal growth assignment. I came across an article via lithub (http://lithub.com/10-contemporary-novels-by-and-about-muslims-you-should-read/) that gave 10 contemporary books to read, so we both took a look. She narrowed down the list to a few, and then I made the final call. And thus, we read The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

I am so very very glad I did. I really don't want to say too much, because this is a neat little book (little, as it comes in under 200 pages) and not knowing what I was getting into in this particular case made for an interesting reading experience. What I will say is that I am passing my copy along to a friend, and I am suggesting it to just about anyone with eyeballs who comes at me for book recommendations.

I will also say that the book may at first seem a little gimmicky - Hamid has written it as if you are listening to one half of a conversation between two people. When I realized this, I thought that eventually it would get on my nerves but it didn't and in fact I can't imagine the story being told any other way. You may have to suspend disbelief just a touch, but if you stick with it you will be glad you did.