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peelspls's review against another edition
2.0
Pros: The author articulates well and the book is short.
(The rest of this is pretty much the cons)
The book is a story about a person who tried to achieve certain goals in their life and reached somewhat somewhere and then discovered life isn't linear/as planned, which doesn't strike me as an original premise, but I'll take it in a different context, narrative, etc. It ends up being exactly my summary, complete with a romantic subplot that wasn't necessary for the story to be fulfilling. I'd rather read a story about a ruthless tycoon from a difficult childhood, because at least I enjoy strategic plotting and scheming.
The author also uses the second person singular experiment to evoke sympathy when it really sounds like instructions, because that's not how I (the reader) would feel. The author explores this in some depth using the metaphor of a self-help book, and providing meta commentary about it, but sounds heavily prescriptive and incredibly cynical. This offhand cynical tone detracts from the emotional strength of the characters and affects even the description of poverty. Having witnessed and grown up around conditions similar to what the author describes, I would have expected a somewhat more humane rendering, but I suppose that's my city-privilege talking. What I'm saying is I can't relate to a story where people are "assigned" feelings.
Furthermore, even if the protagonist of the story is "you", the text is omniscient. I, the reader, am supposed to know what happened to everyone as opposed to discovering information like I would in real life. I also found it incredibly annoying how the "pretty girl" never ages into a graceful woman throughout the author's lifetime.
Lastly, the Big Plot Twist™ is cheap. A story need not necessarily have an ending at all to be meaningful, or can have an abrupt ending and achieve the same point of the story. But to drag chapters along because I, the reader, am supposed to assume that I have become an unreliable narrator is pushing the envelope on how much of the protagonist persona I'm supposed to embody.
(The rest of this is pretty much the cons)
The book is a story about a person who tried to achieve certain goals in their life and reached somewhat somewhere and then discovered life isn't linear/as planned, which doesn't strike me as an original premise, but I'll take it in a different context, narrative, etc. It ends up being exactly my summary, complete with a romantic subplot that wasn't necessary for the story to be fulfilling. I'd rather read a story about a ruthless tycoon from a difficult childhood, because at least I enjoy strategic plotting and scheming.
The author also uses the second person singular experiment to evoke sympathy when it really sounds like instructions, because that's not how I (the reader) would feel. The author explores this in some depth using the metaphor of a self-help book, and providing meta commentary about it, but sounds heavily prescriptive and incredibly cynical. This offhand cynical tone detracts from the emotional strength of the characters and affects even the description of poverty. Having witnessed and grown up around conditions similar to what the author describes, I would have expected a somewhat more humane rendering, but I suppose that's my city-privilege talking. What I'm saying is I can't relate to a story where people are "assigned" feelings.
Furthermore, even if the protagonist of the story is "you", the text is omniscient. I, the reader, am supposed to know what happened to everyone as opposed to discovering information like I would in real life. I also found it incredibly annoying how the "pretty girl" never ages into a graceful woman throughout the author's lifetime.
Lastly, the Big Plot Twist™ is cheap. A story need not necessarily have an ending at all to be meaningful, or can have an abrupt ending and achieve the same point of the story. But to drag chapters along because I, the reader, am supposed to assume that I have become an unreliable narrator is pushing the envelope on how much of the protagonist persona I'm supposed to embody.
tsharris's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, surprisingly moving in ways that I didn't expect, and a lyrical presentation of the societies that billions of people are living in today.
marta0r's review against another edition
4.0
I've never before read a book written in second person, so that definitely intrigued me to begin with when I heard about it. I think it worked really well, and I liked getting to step into the shoes of someone with an identity and life so different from my own. I really enjoyed the writing, which made me feel like I was actually there as the story was happening, and loved getting to see the main character's whole life - I found his childhood and elderly times especially interesting!
noodal's review
4.0
A nice, quick read and an intriguing concept. It is simultaneously evidently not set in a Western, advanced economy setting, but vague enough to be relatable across multiple country contexts across Asia. Though many human experiences are shared, there are still those that are so specific that it feels like our own - and even that sentiment is one that all people can empathize with.
dbg108's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant second-person narration. Such a lovely, haunting, and hopeful book.
camilleisreading24's review against another edition
4.0
This book was cool. Told in 2nd POV and styled as a self-help/how-to book, it traces the rise from poverty to riches of a nameless young man ('you') in an unspecified country in Asia (my guess is India). Over the years (and this brief novel traces his entire life) the boy encounters 'the pretty girl,' who also rises from the slums, first as a model, then a movie star, then an interior designer. The boy peddles in bottled water and eventually builds his business empire on commodifying thirst. The writing style is unique and intriguing, and because there are no references to current events, it feels as though the tale takes place in a perpetual present.
sbhatnag's review against another edition
4.0
Mohsin Hamid is f**king brilliant. While not of the blow-your-mind variety, How To Get Filthy Rich.., was a page turner and does what all great books should do: it lingers..
misha_ali's review against another edition
2.0
One night after finishing this I have trouble recalling most of the characters and events. Utterly unmemorable, especially since the protagonist is always "you" and his lady love is always "the pretty girl". I gave it an extra star because in the final three chapters it actually seemed like we were getting to know more about the characters. It still only gets two stars because too little, too late.
thewakeless's review against another edition
5.0
Although I think this is his weakest novel (that I have read) it is still excellent, fast paced, through-provoking and entirely new. Could not praise this writer enough.
berlinbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
The narrative style of this book drew me in immediately and didn't let me go until it was over. I loved the second person narration (surprisingly for me) and the snarky, irreverent tone of the self-help sections. The way Hamid gives the reader such a full picture of people, relationships or situations with so few words is amazing. I liked reading about the protagonist, but loved everything we got to know about the pretty girl. There are no names or places in this story, but everything is so specific and clearly drawn that after the first moment of noticing that nobody was given a name, I didn't really notice anymore. The ending is lovely, and especially the reflections on how books are a collaboration between their authors and readers, different every time.