PenguinReaders' Group
 

Previous Readers' Group Reviews

The Number 1 Ladies' Book Club

The Number 1 Ladies' Book Club review The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Moshin Hamid

We are a group of seven twenty-something females from Sheffield who meet every month to discuss books and films – we alternate between books and films, which gives us a chance to read longer books (and to make sure everyone finishes them!). We try to use the book club as an excuse to read things we never would have otherwise and in the last year we've read an eclectic range of books, including Dombey and Sons by Charles Dickens, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs.

Meetings usually involve a fair amount of wine and chocolate and we take a relaxed and fun approach to reading and discussing books. We have been known to have some heated debates though and while some books, such as Khalid Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns have been universally enjoyed other have been a lot less popular!

The Reluctant Fundamentalist
This short but gripping novel tells the story of Changez, a young Pakistani man living in America, who has secured a high-powered job on Wall Street. Although, at first, he is seduced by the wealth and status his new career offers, 9/11 and its after-effects, particularly America's aggressive foreign policy, make him dramatically reassess his attitude towards his adopted country.

Mohsin Hamid tackles a controversial subject with intelligence and sensitivity and shows there can be no simple answers. Changez is both restrained and thoughtful, a world away from the typical image of the single-minded 'fundamentalist'. His disillusionment with American values stems in part from his growing disgust with the ruthless capitalism of his chosen career and the unofficial motto of the finance company he works for, 'focus on the fundamentals', makes us question just who the 'fundamentalist' of the title really is.

The novel has an intriguing narrative style, which sees Changez relate his history to a mysterious American, who remains almost entirely silent throughout. Changez's narrative voice drives the story forward at a fast pace but it isn't always clear how much it can be trusted. As the story progresses, the motives of both narrator and listener become more and more questionable, and Mohsin Hamid uses this to slowly increase the tension until the novel reaches its chillingly ambiguous ending.

Not all the members of the group were convinced by where Changez's emotional journey eventually led him, but the novel generated a lot of discussion, which is usually the sign of a good book. We all felt the use of the monologue gave the story an edge it might not otherwise have had and that the author cleverly played on our own preconceptions as readers. Everyone in the group enjoyed the Reluctant Fundamentalist and at just over 200 pages it's an easy but thought provoking read.