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The elegant and compelling novel about a Pakistani man’s abandonment of his high-flying life in New York—an extraordinary portrait of a divided and yet ultimately indivisible world in America post-9/11.

At a café table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. He begins to tell the story of a man named Changez, who 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.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0156034026
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; First Edition (April 14, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780156034029
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0156034029
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.51 x 8 inches
Reviewer: demerson19
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A thriller with intelligence, this book will surprise you.
Review: This is an outstanding, creatively imagined story which manages to give many of us non-Islamic folks a glimpse into what being Islamic in the U.S. must have been like after 9/11.The story takes place in Pakistan (Lahore) as Changez, once a successful immigrant in the U.S., relates his story to an unnamed American. From a privileged, but poor family, Changez manages to get into Princeton and graduate with honors. He lands a highly sought after and highly paid position with a New York "valuation" firm which tells companies what they are worth. He loves New York, falls in love with an American woman, and has more money than he ever anticipated.But after Sept. 11Changez not only finds himself being viewed differently, but begins to view himself differently as well. He suddenly decides to grow a beard which draws even more attention to himself and begins to question his role in the U.S. In the meantime, his relationship with the woman he loves changes for reasons not related to Sept. 11, but also makes him question some essential questions.While the unnamed and unheard American in the cafe could be a mere foil, Hamid manages to create an interesting character we know only through the eyes of Changez. The American's own visit to Pakistan is questionable and Changez works hard to assure the man of his safety. By the end of the novel you are surprised to find yourself in a page-turning, suspense-filled plot (and I'm not giving away any endings).Hamid's narrative is tight and well controlled. At times I questioned the strange romantic relationship, but at the end of the novel we see that it serves to show us another side of the U.S. and Changez's relationship to it. It also teaches about Changez as a person, although we can see how he may appear distant to others. His work at the "valuation" firm is a high stakes position in which his answers determine the fate of others. When this begins to bother him he is encouraged to separate himself from the results since anyone could produce them -- it is nothing personal and he does not make the decisions. But Changez recognizes his role in the process.It is this role which we build out upon as Changez begins to see the role he plays in other areas of his life. What he recognizes is that passivity is not an option. To use the existentialist formula, "not to choose is to choose." In other words, he moves from passivity to action which seems to surprise many, including himself. But is he really changing or simply becoming for himself? That is up to the reader to decide.Regardless of the answer, Hamid's book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand more of what is happening in the world today. There are no simple answers, but there is insight.

Reviewer: M.G.Oliveira
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: with great prospects for the future
Review: The style chosen by the writer is effective in that it creates a kind of mystery and is involved in an atmosphere of suspense and makes the reader to read further.This atmosphere is created by the fact that the write chose to narrate the story in the form of a monologue or it could be said a dialogue but in which the words of the other interlocutor are always heard through the narrator. From my point of view, this is a story of a man trapped between two worlds between the world where he has his roots and the adopted country. He chose to go back to his roots even though it meant going back to deprivation as opposed to a life of comfort, with great prospects for the future. He remained true to his past, to his origins. Was the choice a result of the disappointment with love or of the guilt he felt knowing that while he enjoyed the things money can buy, his parents and other relatives were deprived of the essentials?

Reviewer: J-Readsalot
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: What Lies Beneath
Review: Do not be fooled by the short length of this novel. The story seems to hang in an atmosphere of pathos. The sadness that underlies Changez’ life which he only comes to fully realize after willingly coming to the United States for a degree and a job as a high paid financial analyst. He is constantly reminded to stick to the fundamentals of financial analysis whose result can mean the sale or purchase of a company and innocent workers loosing jobs. He’s extraordinarily good at it and soon finds himself, with the help of Erica, appreciating the good life of New York. Erica is a young woman whose outward appearance of normalcy belies her tragically unhealthy obsession of love for her dead boyfriend. Changez’ inner sense of justice and fairness begin to disturb him as he sees parts of the "American Way of Live” that are objectionable to him. He is shocked by his almost joyful reaction to the 9/11 tragedy. Deeply troubled by his relationship with Erica and his growing unease with his job, he becomes totally distracted and does not complete an important assignment. He is fired and returns to Pakistan where he is free to express his fundamental inner feelings about international politics and America’s often callous self serving role in the world.There is so much detail and depth on display in Changez’ life in America with his growing discontent and his unhealthy, persistent obsession with Erica. All of it told by Changez himself through a beautifully written monologue. You just want to keep reading, enjoying Mosin’s eloquence. In keeping with my custom I don’t like to give too many details which in some cases just repeat the story. But, I will say, the thought provoking, ambiguous ending will send you back repeatedly to reread the last few paragraphs.Easily 5 Stars from me.

Reviewer: Alison Altmayer
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Há muito tempo eu estava querendo ler este livro. Eu esperava mais, embora ele seja muito bem escrito e interessante.

Reviewer: aska86
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Dopo aver divorato "Moth smoke", non ho resistito a tuffarmi nella lettura di questo secondo romanzo di Mohsin Hamid. Decisamente un'ottima scelta.Da leggere rigorosamente in lingua originale, anche in questo caso l'autore si lancia in un'ardita sperimentazione stilistica, vale a dire una narrazione basata interamente sul dialogo fra il protagonista-io-narrante Changez ed uno sconosciuto interlocutore occidentale, nel contesto di un caffé di Lahore. Gli elementi autobiografici sono evidenti: sia l'autore sia Changez hanno infatti ottenuto un prestigioso titolo accademico alla Princeton University.L'opera è incentrata sull'ascesa e declino di Changez, dai suoi risultati universitari impeccabili ad un prestigioso lavoro di consulente aziendale, passando per un "dysfunctional affair" per arrivare ad una situazione di disillusione verso il modello occidentale e le sue promesse di inevitabile felicità. Hamid - sospeso lui stesso fra Primo e Terzo Mondo - non ci offre soluzioni lineari e facilmente digeribili: il suo mondo letterario è complesso e non si presta a facili semplificazioni. Passate oltre se intendente lanciarvi in una crociata anti-occidentale. Al contempo nella narrazione si innestano frequenti digressioni narrative, nella forma di descrizioni della vita sociale di Lahore.L'utilizzo della lingua inglese è magistrale, con parole forbite che si mesconolano con registri più familiari. Una lettura assolutamente consigliata per locutori di livello inglese C1 o C2.

Reviewer: Oshito
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I just bought this novel by the interesting title, but it turned out to be way more interesting! This novel is a mixture of political revelation and sad romance. I daresay that all the other races except Caucasians can share with the protagonist the insight of America, the country which invade other countries, wreaking havoc. At the same time, however, it is a fact that we owe this masterpiece to America, which is the powerful source of human creativity. Once again, I'm entrapped by ambivalence about America.

Reviewer: Mariah Mulla
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The narrative is really unique. However, I have not watched the movie by Mira Nair. But in my opinion, or to be very honest, as I have empathized with this book, the ideology or philosophy of the writer is blind and to some extent partial in analyzing few incidents as depicted in the book. The attitude of India towards Pakistan has been compared with of America's towards Afghanistan or else. But is that so linear a conclusion can be deduced? Again, the omnipotent and tyrannical nature of a powerful and developed country must not be mingled with the emotion of common peace loving citizens of that country, because power and potency are the prerogative of a lucky few who remain at the top of the pyramid and millions other watch them helplessly even when they know that things are not taking place the way they should have. Hence the outlook of the author towards common Americans could have been refined a bit. Otherwise the whole story has been told in a delicious manner and in spite of somewhat a dull content, the reader will never feel to be dragged unnecessarily....really a good one...

Reviewer: DJ Arboretum
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A beautiful novella that traces the progressive disenchantment of a Pakistani man. He starts viewing the US as an ideal only to find it has flaws that cannot be ignored. The ambiguity of the storyline and the unusual first person storytelling make this book beguiling. Its ideal for reading groups as it is interesting, socially, politically and as a literary work.