A Case of Exploding Mangoes

This unusual Pakistani story is based on an enduring mystery--what REALLY caused the 1988 plane crash that killed the dictator General Zia-ul-Huq? In a novel that is being compared to CATCH-22, the fictional Ali Shigri is a young military officer who is questioning various explanations of the accident (including a too- bountiful mango crop!). Narrator Paul Bhattacharjee expertly captures the distinctions of old and young voices and perspectives in this poetic, though very graphic, novel. While there are many clever asides and witticisms, this is also the sad tale of a troubled nation by one of its own. And, like the cause of the plane crash, Ali and his friend Obaid's true relationship is never fully revealed. The painful conclusion includes a beautiful recitation from the Koran. S.G.B. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from February 18, 2008
Pakistan's ongoing political turmoil adds a piquant edge to this fact-based farce spun from the mysterious 1988 plane crash that killed General Zia, the dictator who toppled Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, father of recently assassinated Benazir Bhutto. Two parallel assassination plots converge in Hanif's darkly comic debut: Air Force Junior Under Officer Ali Shigri, sure that his renowned military father's alleged suicide was actually a murder, hopes to kill Zia, who he holds responsible. Meanwhile, disgruntled Zia underlings scheme to release poison gas into the ventilation system of the general's plane. Supporting characters include Bannon, a hash-smoking CIA officer posing as an American drill instructor; Obaid, Shigri's Rilke-reading, perfume-wearing barracks pal, whose friendship sometimes segues into sex; and, in a foreboding cameo, a “lanky man with a flowing beard,” identified as OBL, who is among the guests at a Felliniesque party at the American ambassador's residence. The Pakistan-born author served in his nation's air force for several years, which adds daffy verisimilitude to his depiction of military foibles that recalls the satirical wallop of Catch 22
, as well as some heft to the sagely absurd depiction of his homeland's history of political conspiracies and corruption.