One morning, a man named Anders wakes up to find that his skin has turned dark. He is terrified and ashamed and hides at home, while the rest of his town undergoes the same change, until nearly everyone around him is no longer white. Anders turns to his father, a former gym teacher who is dying, and to a woman named Oona, who works at a yoga studio and whom he begins to see. Mohsin Hamid writes in an unpunctuated, rhythmic prose that takes the form of a fable.
It suits readers who like short, allegorical fiction about race, fear, and belonging, and who appreciate a different angle on the experience of being the majority and then losing that status. It reads fast but leaves plenty to talk about.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2022
- Language
- EN
