BookBrowse Reviews The Reluctant Fundamentalist: Prods the intellect, quickens the pulse and captures the imagination

Following on from the success of his 2001 novel, Moth Smoke, Hamid spins The Reluctant Fundamentalist - a stunning cautionary tale told in just 180 pages. Although technically a monologue (in that we hear only Changez's voice and opinion throughout, the book takes the form of a conversation between Changez and an unknown American, with the reader left to extrapolate the American's background, body language and verbal replies from Changez's responses. This adds greatly to the tension of the novel and also allows the reader, for much of the book, to imagine him/herself on the other side of the table from Changez in an intimate little cafe somewhere in Lahore.

It's likely that some who would appreciate this book have avoided...