Book Review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

 I have heard often that the story which has been told by the strong and mighty becomes history while those offered by the weak becomes overlooked and fades away from the light. The tragedy and devastation caused by the 9/11 terrorist attack still shocks the world but the burden it had on a certain minority of which a few radicals carried out the operation are often not heard or rather forgotten entirely. The Reluctant Fundamentalist explores the inner conflicts and dilemmas faced by such an individual from the minority and is in my opinion one of the best novels written by the Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid.

Image courtesy: Goodreads

Previously I have read Exit West by the same author, which mixes mysticism with dramas of life. The novel was a culmination of struggles and challenges faced by citizens in country filled with conflicts told in an absolutely emotional and extraordinary way. What makes the Reluctant Fundamentalist different is the fact that the author didn’t employ these before mentioned techniques but rather symbolism and metaphors to clearly elicit the honest feelings and conflicts that Changez, the protagonist went through, reluctantly trying to be a fundamentalist in a world where nothing else mattered. 

  While the terrorist attack brought down the twin towers, it was a façade that shattered for Changez. It made him realize that he himself was a product of the American patriotism. He was given an education and later a job by that nation, all in return for holding on to certain fundamentals or rather being a fundamentalist. 

The post 9/11 America saw a surge of nationalism which although didn’t affect him first, it very well excluded him. He tried to cope up with it but soon couldn’t find a real place to fit in. His love affair for (Am)Erica can be taken as an example. (Am)Erica during the war of terror, becomes so obsessed with her own past and keeps idealizing it. And in order for Changez to ultimately succeed as a lover, he had to pretend to be someone else that he really wasn’t. Towards the end of the novel it becomes clear to Changez that with both his lovers clinging on to nostalgia of the past and not being able to move on, he would have had to keep on the facade of being someone else forever. And that was ultimately the point where he decided to quit his job and head back to his homeland. The ultimate end of the novel which was ridden with suspense or rather open endedness is really commendable as well.

The book had an overall profound effect on me and I believe succeeded in portraying the other less thought out perspectives in the wake of a tragedy like 9/11.  And for that reason, the book has become one of the best books I have come across. 

-Rithin.