Synopses & Reviews
When Daru Shezad is fired from his banking job in Lahore, he begins a decline that plummets the length of this sharply drawn, subversive tale. Before long, he can't pay his bills, and he loses his toehold among Pakistan's cell-phone-toting elite. Daru descends into drugs and dissolution, and, for good measure, he falls in love with the wife of his childhood friend and rival, Ozi—the beautiful, restless Mumtaz.
Desperate to reverse his fortunes, Daru embarks on a career in crime, taking as his partner Murad Badshah, the notorious rickshaw driver, populist, and pirate. When a long-planned heist goes awry, Daru finds himself on trial for a murder he may or may not have committed. The uncertainty of his fate mirrors that of Pakistan itself, hyped on the prospect of becoming a nuclear player even as corruption drains its political will.
Fast-paced and unexpected, Moth Smoke portrays a contemporary Pakistan as far more vivid and disturbing than the exoticized images of South Asia familiar to most of the West. This debut novel establishes Mohsin Hamid as a writer of substance and imagination.
Review
"A rare glimpse into modern-day Pakistan . . . The voices that emerge are sarcastic and sad, a lively lament . . . reminiscent of V. S. Naipaul and Salman Rushdie."—
Carolyn Alessio, The Chicago Tribune"It's Hamid's achievement that we remain charmed by Daru throughout; the fast- paced, intelligent narration pulls us, despite ourselves, into his spiralling wake."—The New Yorker
"Not often does one find a first novel that has the power of imagination and skill to orchestrate personal and public themes of these consequences and achieve a chord that reverberates in one's mind. Moth Smoke is one of the two or three best novels I have read this year."—Nadine Gordimer
"[A] brisk, absorbing novel . . . Hamid steers us from start to finish with assurance and care."—Jhumpa Lahiri, The New York Times Book Review
"A first novel of remarkable wit, poise, profundity, and strangeness . . . Hamid is a writer of gorgeous, lush prose and superb dialogue . . . Moth Smoke is a treat."—Esquire
"Moving quickly but inviting prolonged retrospection, this first novel lays bare a human core that festers in its own unremitting heat. Hamid is a writer to watch."—Library Journal
"Hamid's tale, played out against the background of Pakistan's recent testing of a nuclear device, creates a powerful image of an insecure society toying with its own dissolution."—Publisher's Weekly
Review
"A first novel of remarkable wit, poise, profundity, and strangeness… Hamid is a writer of gorgeous, lush prose and superb dialogue…
Moth Smoke is a treat." -
Esquire "Stunning… [Hamid] has created a hip page-turner about [his] mysterious country." -Los Angeles Times
"A brisk, absorbing novel… inventive… trenchant… Hamid steers us from start to finish with assurance and care." -Jhumpa Lahiri, The New York Times Book Review
"Pakistan, seventh most populous country in the world, is one of the countries whose literature has been overlooked. Now its chair has been taken, and looks to be occupied for years to come, by the extraordinary new novelist Mohsin Hamid." -The Philadelphia Inquirer
"A subtly audacious work and prodigious descendant of hard-boiled lit and film noir… Moth Smoke is a steamy and often darkly amusing book about sex, drugs, and class warfare in postcolonial Asia." -The Village Voice
"Fast-paced, intelligent." -The New Yorker
"Friends, a love triangle, murder, criminal justice, hopelessness, humidity. Its set in Lahore, theres a beautiful woman. Her name is Mumtez and she smokes pot and cigarettes and drinks straight Scotch. Read this book. Fall in love." -Publishers Weekly
"The most impressive of his gifts is the clearsightedness of his look at the power structure of a society that has shifted from the old feudalism, based on birth, to the new Pakistani feudalism based on wealth." -The New York Review of Books
"Sharply observed… elegant and evocative… a substantial achievement." -Financial Times
"Brilliant… As relevant now as it was upon first publication twelve years ago." -The Millions
Review
Praise for
Moth Smoke
"A first novel of remarkable wit, poise, profundity, and strangeness… Hamid is a writer of gorgeous, lush prose and superb dialogue… Moth Smoke is a treat." –Esquire
"Stunning… [Hamid] has created a hip page-turner [his] mysterious country." –Los Angeles Times
"A brisk, absorbing novel… inventive… trenchant… Hamid steers us from start to finish with assurance and care." –Jhumpa Lahiri, The New York Times Book Review
"Pakistan, seventh most populous country in the world, is one of the countries whose literature has been overlooked. Now its chair has been taken, and looks to be occupied for years to come, by the extraordinary new novelist Mohsin Hamid." –The Philadelphia Inquirer
"A subtly audacious work and prodigious descendant of hard-boiled lit and film noir… Moth Smoke is a steamy and often darkly amusing book about sex, drugs, and class warfare in postcolonial Asia." –The Village Voice
"Fast-paced, intelligent." –The New Yorker
"The most impressive of his gifts is the clearsightedness of his look at the power structure of a society that has shifted from the old feudalism, based on birth, to the new Pakistani feudalism based on wealth." –The New York Review of Books
"Sharply observed… elegant and evocative… a substantial achievement." –Financial Times
Review
"A first novel of remarkable wit, poise, profundity, and strangeness… Hamid is a writer of gorgeous, lush prose and superb dialogue…
Moth Smoke is a treat." –
Esquire "Stunning… [Hamid] has created a hip page-turner [his] mysterious country." –Los Angeles Times
"A brisk, absorbing novel… inventive… trenchant… Hamid steers us from start to finish with assurance and care." –Jhumpa Lahiri, The New York Times Book Review
"Pakistan, seventh most populous country in the world, is one of the countries whose literature has been overlooked. Now its chair has been taken, and looks to be occupied for years to come, by the extraordinary new novelist Mohsin Hamid." –The Philadelphia Inquirer
"A subtly audacious work and prodigious descendant of hard-boiled lit and film noir… Moth Smoke is a steamy and often darkly amusing book about sex, drugs, and class warfare in postcolonial Asia." –The Village Voice
"Fast-paced, intelligent." –The New Yorker
"The most impressive of his gifts is the clearsightedness of his look at the power structure of a society that has shifted from the old feudalism, based on birth, to the new Pakistani feudalism based on wealth." –The New York Review of Books
"Sharply observed… elegant and evocative… a substantial achievement." –Financial Times
Review
"A first novel of remarkable wit, poise, profundity, and strangeness… Hamid is a writer of gorgeous, lush prose and superb dialogue…
Moth Smoke is a treat." -
Esquire "Stunning… [Hamid] has created a hip page-turner [his] mysterious country." -Los Angeles Times
"A brisk, absorbing novel… inventive… trenchant… Hamid steers us from start to finish with assurance and care." -Jhumpa Lahiri, The New York Times Book Review
"Pakistan, seventh most populous country in the world, is one of the countries whose literature has been overlooked. Now its chair has been taken, and looks to be occupied for years to come, by the extraordinary new novelist Mohsin Hamid." -The Philadelphia Inquirer
"A subtly audacious work and prodigious descendant of hard-boiled lit and film noir… Moth Smoke is a steamy and often darkly amusing book about sex, drugs, and class warfare in postcolonial Asia." -The Village Voice
"Fast-paced, intelligent." -The New Yorker
"The most impressive of his gifts is the clearsightedness of his look at the power structure of a society that has shifted from the old feudalism, based on birth, to the new Pakistani feudalism based on wealth." -The New York Review of Books
"Sharply observed… elegant and evocative… a substantial achievement." -Financial Times
"Brilliant… As relevant now as it was upon first publication twelve years ago." -The Millions
Synopsis
Available for the first time from Riverheadthe debut novel from the bestselling author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Moth Smoke, Mohsin Hamids deftly conceived first novel, immediately marked him as an uncommonly gifted and ambitious young literary talent to watch when it was published in 2000. It tells the story of Daru Shezad, who, fired from his banking job in Lahore, begins a decline that plummets the length of Hamids sharply drawn, subversive tale.
Fast-paced and unexpected, Moth Smoke was ahead of its time in portraying a contemporary Pakistan far more vivid and complex than the exoticized images of South Asia then familiar to the West. It established Mohsin Hamid as an internationally important writer of substance and imagination and the premier Pakistani author of our time, a promise he has amply fulfilled with each successive book. This debut novel, meanwhile, remains as compelling and deeply relevant to the moment as when it appeared more than a decade ago.
Synopsis
Available for the first time from Riverhead—the debut novel from the bestselling author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Moth Smoke, Mohsin Hamid’s deftly conceived first novel, immediately marked him as an uncommonly talented and ambitious young writer to watch when it was published in 2000. It tells the story of Daru Shezad, who, fired from his banking job in Lahore, begins a decline that plummets the length of Hamid’s sharply drawn, subversive tale.
Fast-paced and unexpected, Moth Smoke was ahead of its time in portraying a contemporary Pakistan far more vivid and complex than the exoticized images of South Asia then familiar to the West. It established Mohsin Hamid as an internationally important writer of substance and imagination, a promise he has amply fulfilled with each successive book. This debut novel, meanwhile, remains as compelling and deeply relevant to the moment as when it appeared more than a decade ago.
About the Author
Mohsin Hamid grew up in Lahore, Pakistan, and attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School. He contributes to Time, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune, and other publications. After a number of years living in New York and London, he has again made Lahore his home.