By Nate Shivar
I read Mohsin Hamid’s novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist during my flurry of post-college book reading. It was a powerful novel that was also written simply, beautifully and powerfully. It really stuck with me.
I had had How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia in my queue for quite some time before buying it and actually reading it.
Oh wow. I should have read this book even sooner.
It’s received tons of praise from nearly every part of the book critic world. In some ways – it was an almost suspicious amount of praise.
Nope.
This book is one of those books – the kind that draw you in quickly and force you to see the world in a new way through someone else’s eyes.
The book is set in South Asia – though it could be either Pakistan or India. Many of the details of the book are purposefully vague. You never know any names or specific places.
Instead, the entire book is written in 2nd person. “You decide to take a stroll with your sister” or “you are taken with a friend” or “your father is ill” – which creates an incredible effect of putting yourself inside the character.
The novel is structured like a self-help book with chapters like “find a mentor” or “focus on the fundamentals” but also chronologically in the life of the main character.
What I Liked
Everything – and not in a lazy, cliche way. It’s the perfect modern novel. It’s rich, relevant and so readable.
What I Did Not Like
It ended!
Conclusion
If you are looking for a good novel, go get this one.
