A review by camilleisreading24
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid

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.