MOTH SMOKE PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

Mohsin Hamid | 320 pages | 16 Jun 2011 | Penguin Books Ltd | 9780241953938 | English | London, United Kingdom Moth Smoke - Wikipedia

Hamid is a writer to watch. He flies his pair of moths, [the characters] Daru and Mumtaz, like an expert kite fighter, singing wings and fraying strings. Hamid steers us from start to finish with assurance and care. Hamid is a writer of gorgeous, lush prose and superb dialogue. Moth Smoke is a treat. The information about Moth Smoke shown above was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's online-magazine that keeps our members abreast of notable and high-profile books publishing in the coming weeks. In most cases, the reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the reviews shown do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, please send us a message with the mainstream media reviews that you would like to see added. Reader Reviews Write your own review. His writing has been featured on bestseller lists, adapted for the cinema, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, selected as winner or finalist of twenty awards, and translated into thirty-five languages. Born in Lahore, Pakistan, he has spent about half his life there and much of the rest in London, New York, and California. A multigenerational story about two families bound together by the tides of history. Reader Reviews. The author of Orphan Train returns with an ambitious, emotionally resonant historical novel. Master storyteller Ben Macintyre tells the true story behind the Cold War's most intrepid female spy. BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info, and giveaways by email. Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid. Write a Review. But the die has been cast. There is no going back. The case is announced. The prosecutor rises to his feet, and his opening remarks reek of closure. The accused has stretched out his neck beneath the heavy blade of justice, and there is no question but that this blade must fall. For he has blood on his hands, Milord. Young blood. The blood of a child. He killed not out of anger, not out of scheme or plan or design. He killed as a serpent kills that which it does not intend to eat: he killed out of indifference. He killed because his nature is to kill, because the death of a child has no meaning for him. The balancing of scales awaits, Milord; redress for wrong is come. Tender humanity screams in fear, confronted by such a monster, and conscience weeps with rage. The law licks its lips at the prospect of punishing such a one, and justice can shut its eyes today, so easy is its task. Now its chair has been taken, and looks to be occupied for years to come, by the extraordinary new novelist Mohsin Hamid. Her name is Mumtez and she smokes pot and cigarettes and drinks straight Scotch. Read this book. Fall in love. Fast—paced and unexpected,Moth Smoke portrays a contemporary Pakistan far more vivid and complex than the exoticized images of South Asia 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 compelling and deeply relevant today. After a number of years living in New York and London, he has again made Lahore his home. Home 1 Books 2. Read an excerpt of this book! Add to Wishlist. Sign in to Purchase Instantly. Members save with free shipping everyday! See details. About the Author. Hometown: London, U. Date of Birth: Place of Birth: Lahore, Pakistan. Education: A. Read an Excerpt Chapter One My cell is full of shadows. Show More. Does it give the novel extra momentum? Did you find yourself prejudging the narrator? What does each get out of the affair? Why do you think he stays on even as Daru is unable to pay him? How would you describe the interplay among classes in Lahore? What do you think Mumtaz is seeking in her work as an undercover journalist? Why or why not? Would you consider him an anti—hero or worthy of reader sympathy? Were you satisfied with the ending of this book—did everyone get the appropriate karmic payout? Related Searches. Blending Families. Today more Americans are part of a second-marriage family than a first. Inevitably, these newly Inevitably, these newly blended stepfamilies will be confronted by their own special problems and needs. View Product. The Boy Who Shoots Crows. Yesterday, a local boy went missing in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Transplanted painter Charlotte Dunleavy was used to seeing him go into the woods, rifle in Fully updated, this comprehensive resource now features more than sample letters and manuscript Ghachar Ghochar. Read All about It! A treasury of fifty sensational read-aloud pieces for young adults. From Narrative of the Life of America's only female swordfish boat captain returns with this long- awaited follow-up to the bestselling Analysis Of ' Moth Smoke ' By Mohsin Hamid - Words | Bartleby

Somewhere in the middle, Daru, high on heroin, theorises that Muazzam - Mumtaz's son - is the reason for all of his misery. He even follows Muazzam's car, revolver in lap, and you feel certain this is the crime he is being accused of. Only to be surprised when he doesn't kill the child. Then, the burglary plot unfolds. Now, you're sure Daru has killed the little boy at the boutique that he and Murad are raiding. You're convinced even after that episode concludes, that this is what has happened. It's only towards the end, that you realise what has actually happened. That Daru has been accused of killing the boy that Ozi killed, ran over in his Pajero. And then it hits you. Ozi's revenge. His way of exacting vengeance for Daru's affair with Mumtaz, of which he'd known for some time then. And your mind is in a whirl. You're left open-mouthed at this revelation, devastating as it is. You've only heard of poetic justice being meted out in books and movies. You can only shake your head in awe, for how beautifully and thoroughly your mind has been manipulated by Hamid. And then, while you re-read it, more carefully this time, you find that there was only a gunshot. It never connected with any person, only resulted in a shattering of glass. All siblings. All sons of Shah Jahan. Your mind wanders back to snippets of history you've read somewhere. You remember reading about the speedy trial Aurangzeb the original rigged for his brother, Darashikoh, and how he got Dara condemned to death, having declared him a heretic. To sum up, this book is right up there with my all-time-favourites. I never came through such complex characters and unfortunately I found them real rather than just characters. If you know Lahore and its suburbs, you can actually relate to it very well, the existence of elite class, their immoralities, the working of drug suppliers, stories of red light areas so on and so forth. He created Mumataz actually, the outstanding character, she is the women of strength and the only person with the feeling of guilt which she tried to compensate till the end,in her own way, which I think is again a mistake. Ozi turns out to be silent revenger and Daru- the ignorant, blamer and self piteous. The second favourite animal after moth in the story is Chipkali lizards. I laughed at how he defines it. View all 5 comments. Jul 15, Anum S. That was a very long analogy for the slow, steady destruction of our main character Darashikoh in this story. The reason Hamid used it is because this book reimagines the story of the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh our hero, or rather, anti-hero and his trial at the hands of his brother Aurangzeb Ozi in this story. Be that as it may, the Mughal connection is present but fleeting or maybe it's very very important and I need a two-hour lit class to recognize it. After losing his job because of his disdain for an obnoxious customer, Daro, an orphan who lives alone, finds that the lifestyle he has grown accustomed to is no longer possible on a life of no salary. This lack in finances is made worse by the reappearance of Ozi from abroad, with a child and wife in tow. The wife, Mumtaz, also plays a huge part in the narrative as the sexy, disenchanted wife, uncomfortable in her marriage and unable to love her child. Her dissatisfaction with life, her inability to accept lack of love for her child, and the facades she wears makes her one of the two in the pair of most interesting characters in this novel. Unable to deal with the reality of his situation, Daro spends more and more on drugs like heroin. His uncomfortable alliance with rickshaw driver and small-time criminal Murad Badshah, the second in the pair of most interesting characters in this story, lead to more and more drug taking, and eventually to an actual employment as a drug dealer. Like most of the characters in Moth Smoke, Murad Badshah is a largely dislikeable character, prone to violence and eager to incite Daro into crimes, but he was my favourite because he felt so real. What also works out well is that Hamid is writing what he seems to know. His character Daro, middle class and surrounded by richer friends, comes across as unlikable but also authentic. His contempt for and envy of the rich, between constantly trying and failing to fit into the elite circles that Ozi is so casually a part of, forms the connection between these two characters - not too visible on the page - that has the greatest role in the narrative. This is a counterpoint to the harsher actions of other people, like Ozi, whose powerful Pajero knocks over a young boy on a bike, in a brutal hit- and-run. And while Daro, witness to the accident, is the one who picks the boy up and takes him to the hospital, he is unable to make Ozi feel repentant for this mistakes. Another thing to appreciate about this author is that he is unapologetic in his desi-ness. Just like a Pakistani knows what kind of a drink Pakola is or what owning a Suzuki says about your economic status, we all indulge in cultural currencies in our literature which roots you in places. Pakistani authors not only define eid, they also explain the religious background and the festival itself in detail. But if we are going to consider possible candidates for Pakistani books being adapted for the silver screen, books by Hamid would definitely be on top of the list. Recommendation: Not the best thing ever, but not bad either. It's been a while since I wrote one, so it'll probably be chunky and off-kilter. Feb 04, Shalini rated it really liked it. Mohsin Hamid writes with credibility and a certain conviction that tears characters off the fabric of pakistan's social tapestry and paints instead a vivid etching in grey scales. The narrative forebodes the breakdown of the society's very weak fundamental values as would be the case in any upwardly mobile urban story. Hamid is a subtle craftsman at work. His characters reveal the story of Daru the social outcast. Most significantly Mumtaz holds up the mirror to bring the two paralles in her life Mohsin Hamid writes with credibility and a certain conviction that tears characters off the fabric of pakistan's social tapestry and paints instead a vivid etching in grey scales. Most significantly Mumtaz holds up the mirror to bring the two paralles in her life ozi and Daru who seemingly meet at a point and then move away displaying the stark contrast and the deep chasm that separtes them as a person and as a part of the society's frameowrk. Moth Smoke balances itself on a thin and delicate question that the subcontinent is facing right now. What is the identity of the urban youth-both men and women: What are their choices and where are they heading? Has it reached a tipping point? Jun 02, Elsa Qazi rated it really liked it. This book was amazing!! What is worth noticing is that though Daru and Ozi were friends, their relationship in the beginning was that of brothers, thus the allegory consisting of two brothers. They turned against each other and Aurangzeb was the doom of his own brother. The social and political problems of our society at the time This book was amazing!! The social and political problems of our society at the time of the nuclear tests are the main focus of the book. But I think this book still represents much of what is happening in Pakistan: Corruption, unemployment, nepotism, class differentiation, and every other problem arising from these. Need to know how is Pakistan doing these days? Read Moth Smoke. This book was the harsh reality of the problems faced by Pakistan. Coming to our infamous protagonist Darashikoh Shezad. It was totally unfair that he rot in jail for what Ozi did. Also true that he didn't kill the boy in the boutique. But he was in no way innocent. He slept with his best friend's wife. He wanted to kill his best-friend's son. He was a dealer of drugs. Got addicted to heroin and was a pathetic loser. If you are going to say that he was a "victim of the system" then please save your breath. He hated it when the rich folks got a little too condescending but wouldn't treat Manucci with an ounce of respect. The rich folks whom he hated so were the ones who showed Manucci some kindness. After Manucci left Daru didn't realize his mistake instead made a long list of bad remarks to the people of the lower class. All in all he was fucked up. Ozi was a spoiled brat, who thought that he was the best and could do what he liked because his Daddy had money. So, I am not going to waste my breath on him. We Pakistani people are all too well-aware of people with the same problem. Mumtaz was by far my favorite character. She was headstrong, independent if sometimes a little too hard to understand She seemed to be the only one with a straight head. Jan 13, Louise rated it it was amazing Shelves: fiction , pakistan-lit-fic. The book begins and ends with excerpts from the story of Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal for his beautiful and beloved wife, Mumtaz. Their children, Darashukoh and Aurangzeb, became enemies. Mohsin Hamid names his characters for these historical people and shows a similar unraveling of childhood relationships. Was it determined from the start that Dara Shukoh and his friend Aurangzeb, known as Ozi, would become rivals? As young competitors Dara was smarter and stronger, but his wealt The book begins and ends with excerpts from the story of Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal for his beautiful and beloved wife, Mumtaz. As young competitors Dara was smarter and stronger, but his wealthy friend Ozi was empowered to succeed by family money and connections. Ozi was able to get a US education, became a lawyer and then help his father preserve and expand the family fortune. Set in Pakistan as it becomes nuclear in , Dara's attitude towards his bank's customers gets him fired from the low level job he got through Ozi's family's contacts. Without an MBA, a US degree, or a well connected relative, doors for legitimate employment are not available to him. He sees the entitled life of Ozi's elite friends. He allows his life to spin out of control and he becomes like a moth to a flame. Through Dara's story, Hamid draws a portrait of the young in Lahore. He shows how corruption in Ozi's case money laundering trickled fortunes upward to the elite and sent the have-nots into a downward spiral. Both Ozi and Dara show emotions ranging from lack of concern to contempt for those below them on the social ladder. It is not surprising that Mumtaz, who is the only one who shows concern for right and wrong, can love neither man. The characters reveal themselves in their first person accounts, but none of the characters truly understands the other. This is an excellent piece of literature, as is Hamid's newer novel "The Reluctant Fundamentalist". Hopefully Hamid will not keep readers waiting for 8 years for another. Aug 05, Bloodorange rated it liked it Shelves: experimental , pakistan. My response to this book was curiously all over the place, something I don't usually experience. Then three stars again. I liked some aspects of the ending, in particular a little scene when the protagonist is approached by a fundamentalist, which ends as follows bear in mind the action of the book is set in the summer of : What a nice guy. I hope he doesn't get himself killed trying to make things better for the rest of us. I guess there are all kinds of fundos these days. And they're obviously well organized if they even have a sales pitch for people like me. I can't say I entirely disagree with their complaints, either. On the drawbacks: the main plot is very simple - something experimental chapters probably aim to conceal. I've seen more original 'meteoric falls' among my colleagues and acquaintances, and mine is a rather sheltered life. I actually liked the book's unlikeable protagonist, but hated the feeling of being manipulated by the author at some point, readers are made to feel revulsion for Daru, and I dare you not to. Plus all the earnestly heavy-handed symbolism - I thought this is something that is just not done anymore. Apr 03, Aasem Bakhshi rated it really liked it Shelves: english-literature , owned. I actually read it as soon as the pirated version arrived on bookstores in Pakistan :. I think in Anyone who read it, waited restlessly for Mohsin's next project that came in the shape of Reluctant Fundamentalist. Strictly speaking from the narrative and characterization perspective, it is far better than Reluctant Fundamentalist. However, latter is unsurpassable in terms of its relevance to the western reader. Jan 01, Yamna rated it did not like it Shelves: forced-to-read , what-the-freaking-hell , the-crime-world , meh , you-made-me-hate-it , i- cannot-hate-you-more-than-this , worst-read-of , heroes-im-not-that-happy-with , major-flaws-in-the-story. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was extremely weird and unsettling and the fact that I was initially impressed by this author totally baffles me. I actually got really bored by the time Darashikoh loses his job. The author treated me to long, boring, tortuous explanations. Firstly, there was the whole "Professor Superb" story that I didn't get at all or I didn't try to understand 'cause well, the book didn't grab my attention. Then, the author gave really grotesque explanations that let me think, Where do I start?? Then, the author gave really grotesque explanations that repeatedly included disgusting words like 'hairs' and 'sweat' and let me tell you, I do not appreciate such things. Yes, you needed to be a true writer who explains every scene vividly but come on, a long paragraph dedicated to a rickshaw driver's sweat? No, thank you. I hated every character, especially Murad and Darashikoh because they were really horrible men with no sense of what's wrong and what's ethical. Yes, I know that was the whole point; to make me hate the characters but I should at least hate them passionately or else the point is completely lost. I hated Mumtaz the most and surprisingly not because she cheated on her husband; her character was just too awful and although I got why she left her son, her character lacked the zeal a "monster" is supposed to have. I hated quite a lot of this book and that is saying something 'cause I'm a Pakistani and people would tell me I SHOULD love this book out of loyalty if not anything else but I just can't. The author basically gave a long description of how many people love scotch and wine and sex in Pakistan despite our religion contradicting it. I know that was to show that Pakistan is exactly like the rest of the world but why just highlight the bad part? Why not try to shine a little light on everyone else in this country? If i were writing this book, I'd at least try to show some good part of this country for the sake of writing. Lastly, I didn't get the ending. Yes, view spoiler [ he was framed for the boy that Ozi killed but did he even kill the boy in the boutique?? Sep 19, Jean rated it liked it. I chose this book because it was written by a Pakistani. You get a different picture of the country from this book than you do from Three Cups of Tea. He gets a decent job in the banking industry but only, as it turns out, because his benefactor arranged it. There are drugs and crime. I found the Ozi chapter the most compelling because it revealed the mind-set of prosperous urban Pakistanis. A note at the end of the book indicates that the story is meant to be an allegory to illustrate the fragmentation of the country, and it works pretty well. The style seemed a tiny bit contrived at times but in general I found the descriptions and dialog satisfying. View 2 comments. Mar 31, Rural Soul rated it it was amazing. This is a hell of a debut for a person who writes in a language which isn't His first. The story is clearly meant to written for locals to understand the fight for existence and survival in class oriented Asian society. I might not find it astonishing if a foreign reader can't grasp it because its a heavy dose of frustration which only can be measured if you happened to dive in this dirt hole. It's dark story of a young man who, losing his bank job carries his life into self destruction. I am clea This is a hell of a debut for a person who writes in a language which isn't His first. I am clearly shaken to feel dilemma of our class differences, greed and corruption since our so called Great Mughals ruled on us. We seem like snails in a race who keep pushing forward to outer circles and despising ones, whom they left behind. Every person is striving to change his fate by joining better class. View all 6 comments. An easy, enjoyable read. I sat back and relaxed, reading it slowly, savoring the beautiful, almost lyrical prose. I walk in circles, tracing the ripples that would radiate if the stars fell from the sky through the lake of this lawn, one by one, like a rainstorm moving slowly into the breeze, toward the tree, each splash, each circle, closer. And with a last stardrop, a last circle, I arrive, and An easy, enjoyable read. The novel starts and ends with a reference to the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and the war of succession amongst his sons. The characters names are symbolic as they are the same as Shah Jahan; Khurram, his sons; Dara Shikoh, Shuja, Murad, Aurangzeb, wife; Mumtaz and grandson from Aurangzeb; Muazzam, and Manucci, who worked in the service of Dara Shikoh and somewhat suffer the same fate as their historical counterparts. Set in the bustling city of Lahore, called the Heart of Pakistan, during the summer of when Pakistan was testing for Nuclear bombs, it is a more liberal than a true portrayal of the corrupt and decadent elite class of Lahore which only a few of Pakistanis will identify with. At the same time, the occasional vernacular and Pakistani slang, a bit of Pakistani culture and the names of the streets of Lahore are very reaffirming to the Pakistani reader. Moth Smoke revolves around three people: Darashikoh "Daru" Shezad; the orphan anti-hero, Mumtaz Kashmiri; the wife of his best friend, Murad Badshah; his drug supplier, while Aurangzeb "Ozi" Shah, Daru's best friend is a secondary character. The book is mostly a monologue coming from Daru but other chapters are a series of flashbacks narrated by different characters giving great insight into them, and one even putting you in the shoes of an overworked judge in session at court. Daru's childhood best friend Ozi has come back from the States after many years with an attractive wife on one arm and a child in the other. Ozi is the son of a corrupt wealthy man, who was Daru's patron, a typical by-product of a politically corrupt society. Mumtaz and Daru are drawn to each other from the moment they meet, both like a moth to a flame, torn between desire and the people they hold dear and feel obligated to. It is the story of a man unable to deal with his circumstances and his social status, and whose sense of entitlement, envy, disdain and haughtiness leads him to his own inevitable destruction. The novel is about social hierarchy, lust, depravity, drugs, unemployment, addiction, obsession and the corruption in third world countries where the rich feed on poor like vultures. What I can definitely say about this novel is less is more. One very interesting and simple but witty part of the novel was using air conditioning as the control factor between the elites and the masses. The characters were very raw, well-thought and deftly constructed. The writing was not only arresting but thought-provoking. The end of the novel was poetically just in my opinion but still, it leaves you hanging, unable to decide. View all 3 comments. Jan 30, Ahauntedsoul rated it really liked it. The novel displays the power and privilege of the rich, and how this shadows over the poor. Hamid shows a society that corrupt and overrun by crime and drugs. The novel also depicts the beauty of friendships and love, as well as the ugliness of betrayal, addiction, adultery and lies amid economic turmoil in Pakistan. The protagonist, Daru, at the beginning of the story is very charming, sweet, and attractive even though he is impulsive and confusing at times. Throughout the story, his character develops into something darker and unstable that resembles Pakistan society that he lives under. The novel also reveals the reality of human nature: people can be weak, greedy, insecure, and lack will power. Mumtaz refuses to be a victim of her own choices by rebelling against the regulations of Pakistani society. Then, she becomes cruel and selfish just like the rest of the people she hangs out with. View 1 comment. This is a first novel. It feels like one. It's about a young man's self-destructive streak fuelled by a failing economy and bad choices. To me, it never rises above this one-line synopsis. Hamid, it turns out, is all about the narrative device. His first person narrative in The Reluctant Fundamentalist elevated an ordinary plot. Here he tries constant foreshadowing of Daru's eventual doom and the occasional chapter told from the perspective of each of the side characters. These chapters turn out This is a first novel. These chapters turn out to be the best parts of the novel because each of these characters is more interesting than Daru. The one about Murad Badshah, the drug peddler, deserves its own graphic novel. Then there is the Symbolism which got on my nerves. Everything is a metaphor - moths, ACs, kites. There is an entire chapter, believe it or not, devoted to how ACs stand for everything from class differences fair enough to marital discord and the difference between life and death. The moths from the title stand for self-destruction, of course, and at a later point, love. A kite fight - a 'kati patang' obviously stands for failure. I executed a perfectly symbolic facepalm at this point. The ending is meant to be ambiguous. It just made no sense. View all 7 comments. This is one clever story. What is obvious becomes not. The story follows the fortunes of Daru. He is educated, smart but is an angry young man. He loses his job as a banker and lives off the little he can earn on-selling recreational drugs. He is totally frustrated that his best friend has plenty of money, a beautiful wife and child and no end of opportunities. Daru's life unravels. The background is Pakistan. India gets the bomb. Pakistan gets the bomb. The currency and economy is in free fall an This is one clever story. The currency and economy is in free fall and there is plenty of drugs. The story is told by various narrators. Mainly by Daru but at times by his friend, his friend's wife, Daru's drug supplier and the judge who will decide on Daru's fate. This works well and there is a clever ending. Dec 05, Osamah Shahid rated it did not like it. Either I am too naive to understand this book or the book was just purposeless. And yes writer is obsessed with sweat. Mar 23, Arsalan rated it really liked it Shelves: favorites. Moth Smoke is a novel that perfectly captures the geist at a particular time in a particular third world country. The country is Pakistan and the geist is drug-addled, soporific, deeply asleep. The protagonist, Daru, which means moonshine in English, although from a middle class background himself, is a product of elite schools and westernized upbringing in Pakistan: arrogant and unable to identify with Pakistanis at large, detached, alienated, apathetic and ultimately marginalized in a society Moth Smoke is a novel that perfectly captures the geist at a particular time in a particular third world country. The protagonist, Daru, which means moonshine in English, although from a middle class background himself, is a product of elite schools and westernized upbringing in Pakistan: arrogant and unable to identify with Pakistanis at large, detached, alienated, apathetic and ultimately marginalized in a society feeding on a culture of misogyny, military and religious chauvinism, conformity, and run by rich, powerful feudal lords and corrupt military generals. Small wonder then, that when he starts to break through the priviliged bubble he's lived in his whole life and the grim reality of the majority of Pakistanis begins to dawn on him, via the drunken hit and run murder of a poor wastrel by his best friend, Ozi, the spoiled rich son of his benefactor, it is too painful for him to deal with. He commits moral and spiritual suicide, losing himself in hashish, sinking into a life of drugs, debt and crime then dropping out of society completely, a society for which by the end the reader is left feeling nothing but contempt. The book is littered with well written characters. For me, the most memorable character in the book is a hash-dealing rickshaw driver called Murad Badshah, a sort of pakistani Falstaff, he has an M. So he purchased a motor rickshaw and built up a fleet. Selling hashish became a lucrative sideline. Murad Badshah's plainspoken lucidity provides for some of the most entertaining passages in the book. Both he and Daru are a victim of their circumstances and of a badly tilted game. Sep 16, Roger rated it really liked it. OK, forget the press on Pakistan, all those fundamentalists "fundos" in the lingo of this book's narrator and hazy threat to the West, all those people not like us who scare us so. This is sexy Pakistan, with lashings of Scotch, plentiful hash, a pastime of adultery among the rich and bored, and big flashy SUV's crashing through the potholed roads on their way to pleasure. I once saved a Pakistani banker from drowning in the Pearl Continental pool in Peshawar, and have nor forgotten the reward OK, forget the press on Pakistan, all those fundamentalists "fundos" in the lingo of this book's narrator and hazy threat to the West, all those people not like us who scare us so. I once saved a Pakistani banker from drowning in the Pearl Continental pool in Peshawar, and have nor forgotten the reward of a boozy party on the roof of another hotel both since blown up. So don't approach this book as an enthnographic slog into foreign territory. These people, the young rich, have been over here - the US or UK - and are cosmopolitan, and partly us. They also live in constant self defence against the clinging poor. Our narrator is not quite rich enough to keep up. He's lost his bank job from disrespect for the undeserving rich, but is still welcome among the wealthy, including the house of his corrupt old friend and his old friend's delicious, transgressive wife. There is temptation unresisted, there are too many drugs, there is the turning to crime to keep up appearances, a man falling through the net of privilige without giving up the notion that easy money is his due. It's a fast, true read as we fall with our anti-hero, and root for something to work out. Does it? Mustn't say. Can say that the descent has many piquant pleasures. Moth smoke: the end of moths that fly too close to the flame - and which have not been previously whacked by the narrator's badminton racquet. Welcome to Pakistan, unofficial version. Mohsin Hamid writes its music. Apr 21, Alessandra Trindle rated it it was amazing. Moth smoke is what happens when the moth, in love with the flame, circles ever closer until its wings catch fire and it is incinerated. The flame remains unchanged during the interaction. This novel depicts the destructive power of finding love in the forbidden. It relates the lies we tell ourselves and others, and it details the consequences of those lies. Set in modern day Lahore, Pakistan, it is at once familiar and alien at the same time. A reader may find influences from Crime and Punishment Moth smoke is what happens when the moth, in love with the flame, circles ever closer until its wings catch fire and it is incinerated. A reader may find influences from Crime and Punishment Rodion Raskolnikov is very similar to the main character Daru or from The Great Gatsby the immorality of the wealthy and how it corrupts their existence , but ultimately, the story is its own, beautifully and fatefully told. Aug 10, Yvonne It's All About Books rated it really liked it Shelves: mystery , contemporary , foreign-cultures , pakistan. It begins the moment two boys realize they'd die for one another, that each cares more for the other than he does for himself, and it lasts usually until a second love comes on the scene, because most hearts aren't big enough to love more than one person like that. The story of a lost soul in the middle of Lahore, one of the mayor cities in Pakistan, sounded really intriguing and it's always a bonus when that author actually knows what he is talking about when he describes contemporary Pakistan. The Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid is able to show glimpses of the current situation in his country and its extreme differences between rich and poor through his characters. It's hard to have sympathy for Daru, but that doesn't take away that the story shows the weakness of human nature perfectly. Drugs, corruption and lack of will power can truly change lives And the fall and downhill spiral towards destruction even bigger when you start out with such a comfortable life as Daru's. Fast- paced and very intriguing! Daru Shezad is part of the middle class Pakistani, but managed to make a quite comfortable life for himself and is used to moving around in the higher classes of Lahora thanks to friends in the right places. When his drug use and arrogant attitude make him lose his banking job, he soon falls into a downward spiral towards destruction. Before long, he can't even pay his bills and loses his connections with the Lahore elite His drug use becomes more frequent, and to make things worse he falls in love with the wife of his childhood friend and rival. Daru is desperate to find a way out and starts his career in crime, but with the drugs clouding his mind he ends up doing something truly unforgivable Moth Smoke is a very interesting read where a colorful description of contemporary Pakistan is mixed with a fast-paced, disturbing and raw story. The main character Daru is not exactly likeable, but he fits right into the story and through him Moshin Hamid is able to show the darker side of life in Lahore. If you like reading a good book set in a culture you might not know that much about, Moth Smoke is a great choice. Find more of my reviews here. Nov 27, Bookchica rated it liked it Recommends it for: anyone interested in south asian literature and contemporary culture. In Moth Smoke, Mohsin Hamid crafts a complex story and leaves you to judge the characters, their insecurities, their arrogance, and their crimes. He has written a candid and uncomfortably honest account of contemporary Pakistan. Dara has lost his job, and all desire to pull out from the economic slump that leaves him in. He is resigned to let his insecurities take him over. Reuniting with his childhood pal Ozi and Ozi's beautiful wife Mumtaz, bring out all the hitherto buried uncertainties. The Bastard of Istanbul. Waiting for Eden. Elliot Ackerman. A Strangeness in My Mind. The Swallows of Kabul. Yasmina Khadra. A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea. A Pale View of Hills. Kazuo Ishiguro. Human Acts. An Artist of the Floating World. How to Be an American Housewife. Margaret Dilloway. The Year of the Runaways. Sunjeev Sahota. Bangkok Wakes to Rain. Pitchaya Sudbanthad. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line. Deepa Anappara. Girl Underwater. Claire Kells. Dinner at the Center of the Earth. Nathan Englander. The Meursault Investigation. Kamel Daoud. The Attack. Girls of Riyadh. Rajaa Alsanea. Sweetness in the Belly. Camilla Gibb. Immigrant, Montana. Amitava Kumar. Re Jane. Patricia Park. Shalimar the Clown. Salman Rushdie. A Burning. Megha Majumdar. Five Star Billionaire. Moth Smoke Summary | SuperSummary Members save with free shipping everyday! See details. About the Author. Hometown: London, U. Date of Birth: Place of Birth: Lahore, Pakistan. Education: A. Read an Excerpt Chapter One My cell is full of shadows. Show More. Does it give the novel extra momentum? Did you find yourself prejudging the narrator? What does each get out of the affair? Why do you think he stays on even as Daru is unable to pay him? How would you describe the interplay among classes in Lahore? What do you think Mumtaz is seeking in her work as an undercover journalist? Why or why not? Would you consider him an anti—hero or worthy of reader sympathy? Were you satisfied with the ending of this book—did everyone get the appropriate karmic payout? Related Searches. Blending Families. Today more Americans are part of a second-marriage family than a first. Inevitably, these newly Inevitably, these newly blended stepfamilies will be confronted by their own special problems and needs. View Product. The Boy Who Shoots Crows. Yesterday, a local boy went missing in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Transplanted painter Charlotte Dunleavy was used to seeing him go into the woods, rifle in Fully updated, this comprehensive resource now features more than sample letters and manuscript Ghachar Ghochar. Read All about It! A treasury of fifty sensational read-aloud pieces for young adults. From Narrative of the Life of America's only female swordfish boat captain returns with this long- awaited follow-up to the bestselling America's only female swordfish boat captain returns with this long- awaited follow-up to the bestselling The Hungry Ocean. The Self-Aware Universe. In this stimulating and timely book, Amit Goswami, PhD, shatters the widely popular belief held In this stimulating and timely book, Amit Goswami, PhD, shatters the widely popular belief held by Western science that matter is the primary stuff of creation and proposes instead that consciousness is the true foundation of all we know and Someone Is Hiding on Alcatraz Island. When Danny saves an old woman from a mugger's attack, he doesn't expect to tangle Retrieved 7 April Retrieved 4 January Hindustan Times. Retrieved 15 March Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 18 April Categories : British novels British novels adapted into films Postcolonial literature Novels by Mohsin Hamid Novels set in Pakistan Pakistani novels debut novels. Hidden categories: Pages with citations lacking titles Pages with citations having bare URLs EngvarB from September Use dmy dates from September Articles lacking in-text citations from April All articles lacking in-text citations. Namespaces Article Talk. Views Read Edit View history. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Download as PDF Printable version. About this book Summary. Book Summary. More about membership! Reviews Media Reviews Reader Reviews. Media Reviews "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. Reader Reviews Write your own review Humaira Azeem. Author Information Biography Books by this Author. Other books by Mohsin Hamid at BookBrowse. More Recommendations More Books. Readers Also Browsed. Join Now! Book Club Discussion. Win this book!

Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®

Most significantly Mumtaz holds up the mirror to bring the two paralles in her life ozi and Daru who seemingly meet at a point and then move away displaying the stark contrast and the deep chasm that separtes them as a person and as a part of the society's frameowrk. Moth Smoke balances itself on a thin and delicate question that the subcontinent is facing right now. What is the identity of the urban youth-both men and women: What are their choices and where are they heading? Has it reached a tipping point? Jun 02, Elsa Qazi rated it really liked it. This book was amazing!! What is worth noticing is that though Daru and Ozi were friends, their relationship in the beginning was that of brothers, thus the allegory consisting of two brothers. They turned against each other and Aurangzeb was the doom of his own brother. The social and political problems of our society at the time This book was amazing!! The social and political problems of our society at the time of the nuclear tests are the main focus of the book. But I think this book still represents much of what is happening in Pakistan: Corruption, unemployment, nepotism, class differentiation, and every other problem arising from these. Need to know how is Pakistan doing these days? Read Moth Smoke. This book was the harsh reality of the problems faced by Pakistan. Coming to our infamous protagonist Darashikoh Shezad. It was totally unfair that he rot in jail for what Ozi did. Also true that he didn't kill the boy in the boutique. But he was in no way innocent. He slept with his best friend's wife. He wanted to kill his best-friend's son. He was a dealer of drugs. Got addicted to heroin and was a pathetic loser. If you are going to say that he was a "victim of the system" then please save your breath. He hated it when the rich folks got a little too condescending but wouldn't treat Manucci with an ounce of respect. The rich folks whom he hated so were the ones who showed Manucci some kindness. After Manucci left Daru didn't realize his mistake instead made a long list of bad remarks to the people of the lower class. All in all he was fucked up. Ozi was a spoiled brat, who thought that he was the best and could do what he liked because his Daddy had money. So, I am not going to waste my breath on him. We Pakistani people are all too well-aware of people with the same problem. Mumtaz was by far my favorite character. She was headstrong, independent if sometimes a little too hard to understand She seemed to be the only one with a straight head. Jan 13, Louise rated it it was amazing Shelves: fiction , pakistan-lit-fic. The book begins and ends with excerpts from the story of Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal for his beautiful and beloved wife, Mumtaz. Their children, Darashukoh and Aurangzeb, became enemies. Mohsin Hamid names his characters for these historical people and shows a similar unraveling of childhood relationships. Was it determined from the start that Dara Shukoh and his friend Aurangzeb, known as Ozi, would become rivals? As young competitors Dara was smarter and stronger, but his wealt The book begins and ends with excerpts from the story of Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal for his beautiful and beloved wife, Mumtaz. As young competitors Dara was smarter and stronger, but his wealthy friend Ozi was empowered to succeed by family money and connections. Ozi was able to get a US education, became a lawyer and then help his father preserve and expand the family fortune. Set in Pakistan as it becomes nuclear in , Dara's attitude towards his bank's customers gets him fired from the low level job he got through Ozi's family's contacts. Without an MBA, a US degree, or a well connected relative, doors for legitimate employment are not available to him. He sees the entitled life of Ozi's elite friends. He allows his life to spin out of control and he becomes like a moth to a flame. Through Dara's story, Hamid draws a portrait of the young in Lahore. He shows how corruption in Ozi's case money laundering trickled fortunes upward to the elite and sent the have-nots into a downward spiral. Both Ozi and Dara show emotions ranging from lack of concern to contempt for those below them on the social ladder. It is not surprising that Mumtaz, who is the only one who shows concern for right and wrong, can love neither man. The characters reveal themselves in their first person accounts, but none of the characters truly understands the other. This is an excellent piece of literature, as is Hamid's newer novel "The Reluctant Fundamentalist". Hopefully Hamid will not keep readers waiting for 8 years for another. Aug 05, Bloodorange rated it liked it Shelves: experimental , pakistan. My response to this book was curiously all over the place, something I don't usually experience. Then three stars again. I liked some aspects of the ending, in particular a little scene when the protagonist is approached by a fundamentalist, which ends as follows bear in mind the action of the book is set in the summer of : What a nice guy. I hope he doesn't get himself killed trying to make things better for the rest of us. I guess there are all kinds of fundos these days. And they're obviously well organized if they even have a sales pitch for people like me. I can't say I entirely disagree with their complaints, either. On the drawbacks: the main plot is very simple - something experimental chapters probably aim to conceal. I've seen more original 'meteoric falls' among my colleagues and acquaintances, and mine is a rather sheltered life. I actually liked the book's unlikeable protagonist, but hated the feeling of being manipulated by the author at some point, readers are made to feel revulsion for Daru, and I dare you not to. Plus all the earnestly heavy-handed symbolism - I thought this is something that is just not done anymore. Apr 03, Aasem Bakhshi rated it really liked it Shelves: english-literature , owned. I actually read it as soon as the pirated version arrived on bookstores in Pakistan :. I think in Anyone who read it, waited restlessly for Mohsin's next project that came in the shape of Reluctant Fundamentalist. Strictly speaking from the narrative and characterization perspective, it is far better than Reluctant Fundamentalist. However, latter is unsurpassable in terms of its relevance to the western reader. Jan 01, Yamna rated it did not like it Shelves: forced-to-read , what-the-freaking-hell , the-crime-world , meh , you-made-me-hate-it , i-cannot-hate-you-more-than-this , worst-read-of , heroes-im-not-that- happy-with , major-flaws-in-the-story. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was extremely weird and unsettling and the fact that I was initially impressed by this author totally baffles me. I actually got really bored by the time Darashikoh loses his job. The author treated me to long, boring, tortuous explanations. Firstly, there was the whole "Professor Superb" story that I didn't get at all or I didn't try to understand 'cause well, the book didn't grab my attention. Then, the author gave really grotesque explanations that let me think, Where do I start?? Then, the author gave really grotesque explanations that repeatedly included disgusting words like 'hairs' and 'sweat' and let me tell you, I do not appreciate such things. Yes, you needed to be a true writer who explains every scene vividly but come on, a long paragraph dedicated to a rickshaw driver's sweat? No, thank you. I hated every character, especially Murad and Darashikoh because they were really horrible men with no sense of what's wrong and what's ethical. Yes, I know that was the whole point; to make me hate the characters but I should at least hate them passionately or else the point is completely lost. I hated Mumtaz the most and surprisingly not because she cheated on her husband; her character was just too awful and although I got why she left her son, her character lacked the zeal a "monster" is supposed to have. I hated quite a lot of this book and that is saying something 'cause I'm a Pakistani and people would tell me I SHOULD love this book out of loyalty if not anything else but I just can't. The author basically gave a long description of how many people love scotch and wine and sex in Pakistan despite our religion contradicting it. I know that was to show that Pakistan is exactly like the rest of the world but why just highlight the bad part? Why not try to shine a little light on everyone else in this country? If i were writing this book, I'd at least try to show some good part of this country for the sake of writing. Lastly, I didn't get the ending. Yes, view spoiler [ he was framed for the boy that Ozi killed but did he even kill the boy in the boutique?? Sep 19, Jean rated it liked it. I chose this book because it was written by a Pakistani. You get a different picture of the country from this book than you do from Three Cups of Tea. He gets a decent job in the banking industry but only, as it turns out, because his benefactor arranged it. There are drugs and crime. I found the Ozi chapter the most compelling because it revealed the mind-set of prosperous urban Pakistanis. A note at the end of the book indicates that the story is meant to be an allegory to illustrate the fragmentation of the country, and it works pretty well. The style seemed a tiny bit contrived at times but in general I found the descriptions and dialog satisfying. View 2 comments. Mar 31, Rural Soul rated it it was amazing. This is a hell of a debut for a person who writes in a language which isn't His first. The story is clearly meant to written for locals to understand the fight for existence and survival in class oriented Asian society. I might not find it astonishing if a foreign reader can't grasp it because its a heavy dose of frustration which only can be measured if you happened to dive in this dirt hole. It's dark story of a young man who, losing his bank job carries his life into self destruction. I am clea This is a hell of a debut for a person who writes in a language which isn't His first. I am clearly shaken to feel dilemma of our class differences, greed and corruption since our so called Great Mughals ruled on us. We seem like snails in a race who keep pushing forward to outer circles and despising ones, whom they left behind. Every person is striving to change his fate by joining better class. View all 6 comments. An easy, enjoyable read. I sat back and relaxed, reading it slowly, savoring the beautiful, almost lyrical prose. I walk in circles, tracing the ripples that would radiate if the stars fell from the sky through the lake of this lawn, one by one, like a rainstorm moving slowly into the breeze, toward the tree, each splash, each circle, closer. And with a last stardrop, a last circle, I arrive, and An easy, enjoyable read. The novel starts and ends with a reference to the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and the war of succession amongst his sons. The characters names are symbolic as they are the same as Shah Jahan; Khurram, his sons; Dara Shikoh, Shuja, Murad, Aurangzeb, wife; Mumtaz and grandson from Aurangzeb; Muazzam, and Manucci, who worked in the service of Dara Shikoh and somewhat suffer the same fate as their historical counterparts. Set in the bustling city of Lahore, called the Heart of Pakistan, during the summer of when Pakistan was testing for Nuclear bombs, it is a more liberal than a true portrayal of the corrupt and decadent elite class of Lahore which only a few of Pakistanis will identify with. At the same time, the occasional vernacular and Pakistani slang, a bit of Pakistani culture and the names of the streets of Lahore are very reaffirming to the Pakistani reader. Moth Smoke revolves around three people: Darashikoh "Daru" Shezad; the orphan anti-hero, Mumtaz Kashmiri; the wife of his best friend, Murad Badshah; his drug supplier, while Aurangzeb "Ozi" Shah, Daru's best friend is a secondary character. The book is mostly a monologue coming from Daru but other chapters are a series of flashbacks narrated by different characters giving great insight into them, and one even putting you in the shoes of an overworked judge in session at court. Daru's childhood best friend Ozi has come back from the States after many years with an attractive wife on one arm and a child in the other. Ozi is the son of a corrupt wealthy man, who was Daru's patron, a typical by-product of a politically corrupt society. Mumtaz and Daru are drawn to each other from the moment they meet, both like a moth to a flame, torn between desire and the people they hold dear and feel obligated to. It is the story of a man unable to deal with his circumstances and his social status, and whose sense of entitlement, envy, disdain and haughtiness leads him to his own inevitable destruction. The novel is about social hierarchy, lust, depravity, drugs, unemployment, addiction, obsession and the corruption in third world countries where the rich feed on poor like vultures. What I can definitely say about this novel is less is more. One very interesting and simple but witty part of the novel was using air conditioning as the control factor between the elites and the masses. The characters were very raw, well-thought and deftly constructed. The writing was not only arresting but thought-provoking. The end of the novel was poetically just in my opinion but still, it leaves you hanging, unable to decide. View all 3 comments. Jan 30, Ahauntedsoul rated it really liked it. The novel displays the power and privilege of the rich, and how this shadows over the poor. Hamid shows a society that corrupt and overrun by crime and drugs. The novel also depicts the beauty of friendships and love, as well as the ugliness of betrayal, addiction, adultery and lies amid economic turmoil in Pakistan. The protagonist, Daru, at the beginning of the story is very charming, sweet, and attractive even though he is impulsive and confusing at times. Throughout the story, his character develops into something darker and unstable that resembles Pakistan society that he lives under. The novel also reveals the reality of human nature: people can be weak, greedy, insecure, and lack will power. Mumtaz refuses to be a victim of her own choices by rebelling against the regulations of Pakistani society. Then, she becomes cruel and selfish just like the rest of the people she hangs out with. View 1 comment. This is a first novel. It feels like one. It's about a young man's self-destructive streak fuelled by a failing economy and bad choices. To me, it never rises above this one-line synopsis. Hamid, it turns out, is all about the narrative device. His first person narrative in The Reluctant Fundamentalist elevated an ordinary plot. Here he tries constant foreshadowing of Daru's eventual doom and the occasional chapter told from the perspective of each of the side characters. These chapters turn out This is a first novel. These chapters turn out to be the best parts of the novel because each of these characters is more interesting than Daru. The one about Murad Badshah, the drug peddler, deserves its own graphic novel. Then there is the Symbolism which got on my nerves. Everything is a metaphor - moths, ACs, kites. There is an entire chapter, believe it or not, devoted to how ACs stand for everything from class differences fair enough to marital discord and the difference between life and death. The moths from the title stand for self-destruction, of course, and at a later point, love. A kite fight - a 'kati patang' obviously stands for failure. I executed a perfectly symbolic facepalm at this point. The ending is meant to be ambiguous. It just made no sense. View all 7 comments. This is one clever story. What is obvious becomes not. The story follows the fortunes of Daru. He is educated, smart but is an angry young man. He loses his job as a banker and lives off the little he can earn on-selling recreational drugs. He is totally frustrated that his best friend has plenty of money, a beautiful wife and child and no end of opportunities. Daru's life unravels. The background is Pakistan. India gets the bomb. Pakistan gets the bomb. The currency and economy is in free fall an This is one clever story. The currency and economy is in free fall and there is plenty of drugs. The story is told by various narrators. Mainly by Daru but at times by his friend, his friend's wife, Daru's drug supplier and the judge who will decide on Daru's fate. This works well and there is a clever ending. Dec 05, Osamah Shahid rated it did not like it. Either I am too naive to understand this book or the book was just purposeless. And yes writer is obsessed with sweat. Mar 23, Arsalan rated it really liked it Shelves: favorites. Moth Smoke is a novel that perfectly captures the geist at a particular time in a particular third world country. The country is Pakistan and the geist is drug-addled, soporific, deeply asleep. The protagonist, Daru, which means moonshine in English, although from a middle class background himself, is a product of elite schools and westernized upbringing in Pakistan: arrogant and unable to identify with Pakistanis at large, detached, alienated, apathetic and ultimately marginalized in a society Moth Smoke is a novel that perfectly captures the geist at a particular time in a particular third world country. The protagonist, Daru, which means moonshine in English, although from a middle class background himself, is a product of elite schools and westernized upbringing in Pakistan: arrogant and unable to identify with Pakistanis at large, detached, alienated, apathetic and ultimately marginalized in a society feeding on a culture of misogyny, military and religious chauvinism, conformity, and run by rich, powerful feudal lords and corrupt military generals. Small wonder then, that when he starts to break through the priviliged bubble he's lived in his whole life and the grim reality of the majority of Pakistanis begins to dawn on him, via the drunken hit and run murder of a poor wastrel by his best friend, Ozi, the spoiled rich son of his benefactor, it is too painful for him to deal with. He commits moral and spiritual suicide, losing himself in hashish, sinking into a life of drugs, debt and crime then dropping out of society completely, a society for which by the end the reader is left feeling nothing but contempt. The book is littered with well written characters. For me, the most memorable character in the book is a hash-dealing rickshaw driver called Murad Badshah, a sort of pakistani Falstaff, he has an M. So he purchased a motor rickshaw and built up a fleet. Selling hashish became a lucrative sideline. Murad Badshah's plainspoken lucidity provides for some of the most entertaining passages in the book. Both he and Daru are a victim of their circumstances and of a badly tilted game. Sep 16, Roger rated it really liked it. OK, forget the press on Pakistan, all those fundamentalists "fundos" in the lingo of this book's narrator and hazy threat to the West, all those people not like us who scare us so. This is sexy Pakistan, with lashings of Scotch, plentiful hash, a pastime of adultery among the rich and bored, and big flashy SUV's crashing through the potholed roads on their way to pleasure. I once saved a Pakistani banker from drowning in the Pearl Continental pool in Peshawar, and have nor forgotten the reward OK, forget the press on Pakistan, all those fundamentalists "fundos" in the lingo of this book's narrator and hazy threat to the West, all those people not like us who scare us so. I once saved a Pakistani banker from drowning in the Pearl Continental pool in Peshawar, and have nor forgotten the reward of a boozy party on the roof of another hotel both since blown up. So don't approach this book as an enthnographic slog into foreign territory. These people, the young rich, have been over here - the US or UK - and are cosmopolitan, and partly us. Margaret Dilloway. The Year of the Runaways. Sunjeev Sahota. Bangkok Wakes to Rain. Pitchaya Sudbanthad. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line. Deepa Anappara. Girl Underwater. Claire Kells. Dinner at the Center of the Earth. Nathan Englander. The Meursault Investigation. Kamel Daoud. The Attack. Girls of Riyadh. Rajaa Alsanea. Sweetness in the Belly. Camilla Gibb. Immigrant, Montana. Amitava Kumar. Re Jane. Patricia Park. Shalimar the Clown. Salman Rushdie. A Burning. Megha Majumdar. Out of my imagination the footsteps of a guard approach, become real when a darkness silhouettes itself behind the bars and a shadow falls like blindness over the shadows in the cell. I hear the man who had been heaving scuttle into a corner, and then there is quiet. The guard calls my name. I hesitate before I rise to my feet and walk toward the bars, my back straight and chin up but my elbows tucked in close about the soft lower part of my rib cage. A hand slides out of the guard's silhouette, offering me something, and I reach for it slowly, expecting it to be pulled back, surprised when it is not. I take hold of it, feeling the envelope smooth and sharp against my fingers. The guard walks away, pausing only to raise his hand and pluck delicately at the wire of the bulb, sending the light into an uneasy shivering. Someone curses, and I shut my eyes against the dizziness. When I open them again, the shadows are almost still and I can make out the grime on my fingers against the white of the envelope. My name in the handwriting of a woman I know well. I don't read it, not even when I notice the damp imprints my fingers begin to leave in the paper. Chapter Two judgment before intermission You sit behind a high desk, wearing a black robe and a white wig, tastefully powdered. The cast begins to enter, filing into this chamber of dim tube lights and slow-turning ceiling fans. Murad Badshah, the partner in crime: remorselessly large, staggeringly, stutteringly eloquent. Aurangzeb, the best friend: righteously treacherous, impeccably dressed, unfairly sexy. And radiant, moth- burning Mumtaz: wife, mother, and lover. Three players in this trial of intimates, witnesses and liars all. They are pursued by a pair of hawk-faced men dressed in black and white: both forbidding, both hungry, but one tall and slender, the other short and fat. Two reflections of the same soul in the cosmic house of mirrors, or uncanny coincidence? It is impossible to say. Their eyes flick about them, their lips silently voice oratories of power and emotion. To be human is to know them, to know what such beings are and must be: these two are lawyers. A steady stream of commoners and nobles follows, their diversity the work of a skilled casting director. They take their places with a silent murmur, moving slowly, every hesitation well rehearsed. A brief but stylish crowd scene, and above it all you preside like the marble rider of some great equestrian statue. Then a pause, a silence. All eyes turn to the door. He enters. The accused: Darashikoh Shezad. A hard man with shadowed eyes, manacled, cuffed, disheveled, proud, erect. A man capable of anything and afraid of nothing. Two guards accompany him, and yes, they are brutes, but they would offer scant reassurance if this man were not chained. He is the terrible almost-hero of a great story: powerful, tragic, and dangerous. He alone meets your eyes. And then he is seated and it begins. Your gavel falls like the hammer of God. Perhaps a query Where did I get this thing? But the die has been cast. There is no going back.

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