The narrator of this novel, who is never named, tells his life story in the form of a self-help guide to success in a fast-changing Asian country. He grows up poor in a village, moves to the city, falls in love with a girl he meets as a teenager, and makes a fortune in the bottled-water business. Mohsin Hamid uses second-person address and chapter titles like "Get an Education" and "Be Prepared to Use Violence" to mock the self-help genre while telling a poignant love story and a tale about corruption, inequality and ambition.
Readers who like short, inventive novels that play with form will find a clever and moving read.
Deep and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2013
- Language
- EN
