Short-listed for the Man Booker Prize A New York Times bestseller A Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year A New York Times Notable Book “Extreme times call for extreme reactions, extreme writing. Hamid has done something extraordinary with this novel.”–Washington Post At a café table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As … Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As dusk deepens to night, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful encounter . . .
Changez is living an immigrant’s dream of America. At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by an elite valuation firm. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his budding romance with elegant, beautiful Erica promises entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore. But in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his relationship with Erica shifting. And Changez’s own identity is in seismic shift as well, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.
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Incredible book that plays on our fears and preconceptions. Hamid does some incredible stuff here with point of view and characterization. My favorite living author.
A deceptively easy read, achieved by the conversational tone of the narrator, Changez. A coming of age story which, on the face of it, is not uncommon. A bright and ambitious young Pakistani excels at Princeton and goes on to shine at Underwood Samson, an acquisition company in New York. While his abilities put him on a par with his classmates and …
This is an intriguing read from the personal experience of a Pakistani who comes to the US, obtains a very good education, driven by hard work and a strong wish to excel and to succeed. He integrates rather well into the American society, meets an American girl and falls in love. As with any immigrant, he also has physical and emotional ties with …
Made me really think about what pushes someone to the fringes. Great writing and storytelling. Haunting ending.
While there was nothing surprising about Hamid’s story, it succeeds because it takes a plotline we think we know and makes it deeply personal.
If you are very politically sensitive, this book might cause you some discomfort, so you might take a pass. Hamid breaks a lot of the fiction-writing rules, but, like Lincoln in the Bardo, once you accept …
This was a realality check that made me reconsider my own vaues and worth i the world. It made e stoop and think about the vast world outside my domain thats feels inferior. I need to be more open minded.