A review by gracereads82
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Such an interesting book. The style of narration is different, in the form of a bearded Pakistani man, Chagez, telling his story to an unnamed, nervous American in a cafe in Lahore. It is part an exploration of culture, of immigration and the promise of America and of how that expectation can change in the wake of tragedy and heartbreak. It was completely not what I expected. Changez tells the American of how he saw America through innocent eyes at first, coming here to New Jersey to study at Princeton and getting recruited by a Manhattan firm straight out of school. His career takes off, he finds himself in love with a classmate and the world seems to be his. Then the events of 9/11 occur and the city is world is suddenly hostile to people who look like him. It is a time of reflection for both his personal life with Erica and for his work life at the firm, but also a time for growth, as he has to decide which life to have, the one in which he stays in America and makes lots of money and lets his family face conflict alone or the one where he goes to stay with them amidst the conflict. It was wonderful to see the events of 9/11 told from a different perspective. This book was definitely a window book for me.
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