The Reluctant Fundamentalist

"As a society, you were unwilling to reflect upon the shared pain that united you with those who attacked you. You retreated into myths of your own difference, assumption of your own superiority." -Mohsin Hamid-

I decided at page 20 of The Reluctant Fundamentalist that I was in love. I stopped and noted the page number and actually said (in my head of course, I was at work), "I'm in love."

The basic story is about a guy named Changez who moves from Pakistan to the United States to go to Princeton. From Princeton he goes to work at an evaluation firm and starts living the life in New York. He also falls in love with a girl named Erica and Changez pursues an out of the ordinary relationship with her.

Everything changes though in the wake of September 11th. Changez has a constant inner conflict, trying to decide if he'd be happy staying in a country that he doesn't agree with or going home to a place that is headed for turbulence. He also has to deal with Erica's past issues that seem to be taking over her entire being.

The most interesting thing about the book is that Hamid has written it as Changez telling a 'random' American about how he himself lived in America and how he came back to Pakistan. There are brief periods in each chapter where Changez is talking to the American (we never learn his name) and we learn a little about the Pakistani culture and Changez's thoughts on his story and the American. This was one of my favorite thins about the book.

Basically, I like everything about Fundamentalist. I liked that it was humorous. It was short (184 pages) and to the point but got it's point across. It has a unique way of story telling and a very interesting ending. I have a love/hate relationship with stories that have open endings. If I love it I want to know the ending of every character and see them tied up nicely, but I also like to be able to create my own endings.

In my opinion, you should read this now.

Bonus Quotation: "One ought not to encourage beggars, and yes, you are right, it is far better to donate to charities that address the causes of poverty rather than to him, a creature who is merely its symptom." -Mohsin Hamid-