This is my second book by Mohsin Hamid. It is the story of a young man from Pakistan who comes into contact with an American in a market place in Pakistan. The story is told entirely from the point of view of the young Pakistani man, and the story is basically a monologue of his life - his journey as a student and trainee in America and his gradual increase in fundamentalism. I suppose in some ways it is a clever way of challenging a westerner's view of fundamentalism, but I found the tone annoying. I realise that this is because of the narrative choice - but in reality who has a conversation that goes along the lines of "You enjoyed the chicken dish you say.... well let me tell you about..." Still, it was a quick read.
The first book that I read (and apparently didn't post on here) is Moth Smoke.
I enjoyed this book a lot more. Again, this story was set in Pakistan. It is the story of a young man who finds himself unemployed and in love with his best friend's wife. With no money coming in, this young man starts to sell drugs as a way into the wealthy people's life. He has always been on the outskirts of this lifestyle, and as his lack of money increases his bitterness regarding the difference between the hypocritical lifestyles of the rich and poor increase. Thankfully, this book did not use the annoying narrative style of a single voice.
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