The Reluctant Fundamentalist

I rarely read books twice, especially novels, but as soon as I finished reading it I started again at page one. One of the best novels I've read in recent memory.

I found this book to be much more enjoyable than I thought it would be. The concept was a little difficult at first for me to grasp: a young man, Changez, imposes himself upon an American in a Pakistani cafe, and spends the afternoon/evening in a conversation in which he speaks of how his life has come full circle, from Pakistan to America and back.

Although most seem to pick up hate against the US, I concentrated more on Changez's story and tried to place myself in his shoes. It was interesting to see how he perceived events in his life and he chose to interpret those events in his surroundings. This book gave me much to think on and about.

While I feel the book was good, I think the writing could be improved on, so the reason I gave it 4 stars and not 5. I enjoyed the book, but it's not something a lot of people can read easily.

Mohsin Hamid's "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" seeks to elucidate the complex emotions successful immigrants into Western society feel about their own ethnicity, culture. identity and place in a superficially welcoming foreign culture. The unnamed tourist Changez addresses himself to in his narrative is merely a literary devise standing for the reader - quite clearly a foreigner - not necessarily but most likely American or European.

The format of this slim yet profound little novella is quite simple. Hamid enters the psyche of Changez, his protagonist who now returned to his own country reflects on the years he had spent in America, the proverbial land of opportunity open to whomsoever had the talent and the determination to make it. And make it he did - until things started to go wrong and then fall apart for him in his private and professional life following the 9/11 incident.

But why doesn't Changez feel unalloyed gratitude to America ? After all, America gave him the chance to elevate himself above the grinding poverty of his motherland and make a better life for himself in a new place. Worse and more puzzling is, why he feels secretly pleased - even if it's for the smallest fraction of a moment - when he learns about the 9/11 attack ? The answers are there on the pages, written between the lines. Admiration for the host country's progressive values, mixed with a secret burning shame from having to subordinate one's own ethnicity simply to be accepted and then finding out that despite making these quiet concessions, one isn't and can never be accepted due to racial and religious differences. The result is a rage difficult to fathom and even more impossible to explain. The sheen of civility that exists between host and guest is shown to be fragile in the best of times. It shatters and then evaporates in an instant under stress.

Hamid has written a wonderful little book. His language is direct and sincere. He makes no apologies for either Changez or his host country. The bitterness and cryptic tone in Changez's voice conveys a disappointment that merely states a fact but doesn't attribute blame. Whether intentionally or not, Hamid made it hard for me to empathize with Changez's girlfriend Erica, her endless pining for her dead fiancé Chris and subsequent mental decline. She knew how Changez felt about her and yet used him - in my view - for a shoulder to cry on. Get over Chris or leave Changez alone. I wanted badly for him to throw her over. Pity he didn't and sadly paid for it. Even Erica's mother's liberalism didn't help me like the family better. Maybe Hamid intended to contrast the sensitive self absorbed individual Western psyche with more pragmatic Eastern concerns. Maybe not.

"The Reluctant Fundamentalist" is a timely reminder that globalisation may make the world flatter but doesn't make all cultures the same. The challenges are great and unless unceasing efforts are made to bridge people across cultures, peace will always be a mirage disrupted by race, language and religion. A wonderful little book. Buy it - you won't be disappointed.

Allegorically interesting, but I didn't quite buy into the point of view -- I found the 1st person "overheard conversation" occasionally both jarring and implausible. Also, I'm afraid I found the ending a bit too clever-clever. I think if the author had tried to tell the tale more simply, he might have come closer to success.

I read this book within a couple of days. Although it's a bit long winded, I was enthralled by this man's story. In a sense he became exactly the same as his beloved Erica which fused his thoughts to become warped. This is not a man who simply condemns America but re-learns to love his own country and return to his roots. Maybe by rejecting his life in the US, he will come to find himself again. So much was happening when his transformation began. I just hope that the ending really isn't what I think it is. I can only hope.