The Reluctant Fundamentalist

DNF (Spoilers).

Short as this work is I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. While I enjoyed the descriptions of Lahore and had i finished I don't think I would have had any issue with the overall criticisms of the USA that seems to have been the authors intent.

I found it hard to empathise with the construct of the protagonist being a poor rich person in Pakistan who finally manages to enter the world of the super wealthy that he feels he should have been born to when he gets a scholarship to Princeton. That being said there are plenty of books about western elites so, other than it not being the sort of theme I connect to, I don't really have any issues with that.

However, the reason I did not finish was because I could not stomach hearing any more of the sentimental retelling of a supposed love story which was in reality nothing short of an abusive relationship where he betrayed her trust and raped her. I don't really understand how Erica can be representative of USA when in the book she is a young woman recovering from the death of her childhood sweetheart who befriends the young Pakistani protagonist and sees in him the possibility of a new relationship but is abused and raped in return. Not only does the protagonist not seem to see much wrong with his actions but mopes about the place feeling sorry for himself. Not only is this deeply disturbing and misogynistic it is a complete failure of the narrative unless the author is trying to make out that ultimately the USA is the wronged party.

Even if it did work, I am pretty tired of stories where the only purpose that women serve is to use their abuse as a lens to tell a wider story.

From the reviews it seems that the author's other works are better so still willing to give one of those a go at a later time.

While grappling with important themes, perspectives, and emotions, it is executed rather flimsily, with an attempt at a style that feels glossy but imported. Hamid's desire to crystallise his life is genuine, the thoughts resonate with an educational immigrant like me, and so does the desire to "make it" in the big city, while feeling irrevocably nostalgic. But the attempts at depth and philosophical examination are merely transient and feel unexplored.

Reluctant Fundamentalist is a monologue given by an unreliable narrator about the emotional upheaval he went through in America post the events of 9/11.
While reading this book, I really liked the portrayal of the downward emotional spiral that Changez goes through but his criticism of the American government lacks nuance.
This book is quite a short read and that's possibly one of the reasons why all the points it makes regarding the American society feel superficial, at best.
I do agree that this book is a good introduction to contemporary fiction that's not western but if you don't need that, this would just feel like a regurgitation.

Meh. Pretty unsatisfying. A brief novel about a young, brilliant Pakistani dude who lives the high life in NYC, falls in love with an Ophelia-type waif, and generally meditates on social mobility. Then 9/11 happens, and he is radicalized. Well, mildly. He grows a beard and feels strong feelings. Is that a spoiler? I mean, I don't think so.

I was medium into this while reading it, even though I found (a) the people didn't talk like real people, and (b) Pakistan/South Asia was exoticized in a way that made me feel pandered to. On (a), everyone felt - well - like a person in a novel? Like, I found Changez's unreliable narration tediously self-aware, I found his Princeton friends likewise dull, and I found the romance with Erica, She of the Sad, veeeery... pretentious? performative? boring?

On (b), I found the portrayal of Pakistan likewise exoticizing in a way I didn't like. I dunno. Like, dude, don't explain jalebis to me. And kurtas. Hamid assumes his audience knows zero about Pakistan, except for random bigoted caricatures, I guess? Which, maybe, hey, fair. But I know a bit more than zero, not even much more (lekin mujhe Hindi/Urdu aati hai! well, sorta), and I found it both pedantic and pandering. Like the way panhandlers in Zanzibar shout “HAKUNA MATATA!” in your face cuz of the damn Lion King. I mean, again, fair, that's probably what most American tourists know. But still, oof.

Stopped reading halfway through. I was still waiting for the book to come to a point. I can see where it was going, but the narrative was too simple and too predictable. Plus I did not like the artificial style in which the writer adresses the listener.

I'm having such a strong reading month and here is yet another very strong contender! This book is phenomenal. The main protagonist is intriguing and deeply layered as the novel develops. His inner conflict between his gratitude and his resentment of America(the land that educated and employed him) in the background of the political and social impact of the war on terror which America declared as a direction response to 9/11 was fascinating. The themes of extremism, ignorance, cultural and religious conflict and identity were so powerfully and beautifully explored in this novel. This novel seems more relevant than ever before and deals with modern day issues between extremism and religious belief(which aren't the same but in the case of Muslim believers often seem to be confused in the wake of current terrorist activity). I love the complexity of the character of Erica. Her descent into madness due to the haunting of her lost love was so intriguing for me and harked back to themes presented in past traditional and classic literature which I enjoyed. Overall a tightly backed novel with much to dig deeper into. A must re-read for me and a must read to everyone else! I will be checking out more work by this author. A highly enjoyable and highly rated book for me!

The change of ideology and identity crisis Muslim youth all over the World...or any one of our generation with a brain is experiencing and must read about...

The narration is pretty unusual (the speaker is literally telling his story to a listener, who is also the reader), which threw me off at first and I wouldn't say I loved but it was interesting. The events that took place kept my attention for the most part, and the ending was especially curious.

Didn't love it, didn't hate it. I'd say this one was okay.

This was a fast, very engaging read. What appealed to me most, I think, is the voice of the narrator, Changez, who is telling his life story to an American visiting Lahore. The story itself is also compelling, about a Pakistani who was working in the US at the time of the 9/11 attacks. I highly recommend this one.

Changez is the best Pakistan has to offer the world, brilliant, handsome, ambitious. Nothing can go wrong for him; he sprints through Princeton, best in his class, and easily obtains the best job in New York City and a beautiful American girlfriend.

And then 9/11 happens and everything does go wrong.

It's the way this story is written that is so wonderful. The Reluctant Fundamentalist is written with Changez speaking directly to an unidentified American in Pakistan, a conversation, a dialogue really, that extends the entire length of the book. It felt like Changez was talking directly to me, the reader, confiding in me the animosities, the hurts, the frustrations of those who grow up outside America's borders.

Changez reveals the differences between himself, the outsider, and Americans. He tells us he has come to “savor the denial of gratification.” He is irritated with Americans and the “ease with which they spent money”, their “self-righteousness”. He admires his own ability to function both “respectfully and with self-respect,” something he sees Americans as unable to do. He resents Americans, who did not even exist as a people while his ancestors were building a rich civilization.

And what an ending. It's been a long time since I read a book with such a powerful and satisfying ending.