The Reluctant Fundamentalist

May 28, 2007
Hamid grabs hold of the American Dream as seen through the eyes of a young Princeton grad from Pakistan in a post-9/11 world. As the protagonist, Changez, finds moderate business success and romantic love in New York City, his heritage and identity will be lost in a sea of subtle and blatant bigotry as well as international politics. In relating this journey from loving to loathing of all things American, Changez speaks to a nameless and speechless American whom he encounters in the marketplace of his home city, Lahore, Pakistan. Bhabha’s English-influenced Pakistani accent proves soothing and inviting for listeners. His gentle demeanor captures the courteous and polite manner of Changez. His American accent comes in the form of a Midwestern accent with a confident—almost arrogant—lilt. He lapses when it comes to vocalizing women. Though lighter, his voice exudes a stoic resonance instead of a feminine one. But the casual tone of Changez telling his life story translates perfectly with the help of Bhabha’s velvet voice. Simultaneous release with the Harcourt hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 11).

In this short novel, a bearded man in a Pakistan café spends a few hours telling his life story to a mysterious American. Because the tale is told as a monologue--the Pakistani speaking directly to his companion--the audiobook listener assumes the surrogate position of the American. The Pakistani, a former Wall Street whiz kid, tells a tale of reaction--how his return to Pakistan and his subsequent nationalism were prompted by the way he was treated in post-9/11 New York. It's never clear from narrator Satya Bhabha's focused performance whether the American is there to befriend or harm the Pakistani. Ultimately that ambiguity makes the story all the more interesting because it puts the symbolic choice in the listener's hands. R.W.S. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine