The Reluctant Fundamentalist Author: Mohsin Hamid

Harcourt, April 2007, 192 pages

Though the novel is slim in look, The Reluctant Fundamentalist does not give the impression of a sophomoric novel. The fact is, the writer spent almost seven years in its making. Like the central character of the novel, Changez, he also grew up in Lahore, Pakistan, and attended Princeton as an undergraduate. That’s why, the narration of itinerary of Changez’s life is comprehensive all through the novel. The novel begins unexpectedly with the voice of Changez (pronounced chan-gays), speaking to an American man. This “dialogue” goes on till the end of the book, without the American ever chipping in.

As he is the only formal speaker in the novel, all we learn about his family, friends, and life is percolated to us through his looking glass. Some of his descriptions are very personal, and so, at times, it is hard to develop a truly firm grasp on personalities of other characters. But this is a minor offense; Hamid injects enough emotion in Changez’s to allow us to predict and imagine the behaviors of others without having to actually read about it ourselves.

Why Changez relates his life story to the American is a mystery till he discloses it in the end of the book. However, the writer drops what fleeting hints throughout his work, though the truth lies in our own minds. Changez says to the American, “The frequency and purposefulness with which you glance about … brings to mind the behavior of an animal that has ventured too far from its lair and is now, in unfamiliar surroundings, uncertain whether it is predator or prey!” A slightly unusual comment, and what are we to make of it?

Though the events of 9/11 are a central part of Changez’s story, The Reluctant Fundamentalist does not center itself around them, they don’t steal the focus. What the writer conveys here is a sense of displacement, a realization that loyalty cannot be split between countries, jobs, or even people.