THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST by MOHSIN HAMID (2007)

I liked this novel about a young Pakistani man's disenchantment with the United States much better until I started thinking about it. When I read a well written book I tend to "go with the flow," living for a time in the world of the novelist. I don't analyze until afterwards. (That is one benefit to me of doing these reviews; I always take time afterward to think about what I have read.)

Hamid structures his story through the uninterrupted monologue of the protagonist, Changez, taking place in Lahore, Pakistan. He has returned to his home country from America, following graduation with honors from Princeton and a year as a financial analyst with a hefty salary at a New York City firm. Though he has achieved the American Dream, he gradually realizes he has allegiances more fundamental than power and money. Despite the suggestive title, the Muslim religion plays no factor in the story.

It did not take much thinking time for me to realize that the story is actually an allegory. The main character's name suggests the shift in his thinking. He has an ill-fated love affair with a girl named (Am)Erica, who ultimately chooses to try to live in reminiscences and imitation of her past rather than to forge a new future that includes him. His employer is in the business of determining the values of companies without regard for the human lives affected (just as the U.S. initiates and abets military conflicts, don't you know.) And so forth. The entire book is a critique of America and its self-centered policies. Many of these criticisms are accurate and justified, even more so now that President Trump has decided to "Make America Great Again," but this is a simplistic treatment of a complex situation. In the end, the novel comes across primarily as an exercise in America-bashing.

But it is well written. The narrative voice of the protagonist is formal and exacting and reads as I imagine a very intelligent and well educated man would speak if his first language were not English. The conclusion is open-ended, which would usually be irritating, but in this case is entirely appropriate.

I would recommend this novel, with reservations. As a surface story, its plot is less than interesting, but as an allegory, it provides much to think about. At the very least, it is worthwhile to learn something about how those from elsewhere view the U.S.

----------------------------------------

The Reluctant Fundamentalist was longlisted for England's Booker Prize in 2007.