Customer Reviews

Moth Smoke

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As those of us in the West grope towards some understanding of the turbulence in the Islamic world, it
is only natural that, along with the histories and the political analyses, we turn to literature. Mohsin
Hamid's Moth Smoke, set in Lahore, Pakistan in the summer of 1998, as India and Pakistan rattled
their nuclear sabers, offers a very readable entree to some of the issues surrounding the awkward
process of modernizing one Moslem nation. In particular, it captures the frustration and anger of the
less fortunate in a country whose ruling class is thoroughly corrupt and where the economic divide is
so vast that the wealthy can insulate themselves from the rules that bind the rest of society, and can
nearly avoid physical contact with the lower classes. But it also conveys some sense of the visceral
pride felt at every level of society when the government demonstrated that--just as the Christians, Jews,
Orthodox, Buddhists, and Hindus--Moslems have the bomb too. This tension, of income inequalities
dividing the nation, while ethno-religious pride unites it, is currently a defining characteristic of the
region.

Set against this exotic backdrop of nuclear confrontation and a miasma of corruption, cronyism, and
kickbacks, Hamid unfolds an oddly familiar tale that's equal parts hard-boiled fiction and
yuppie-descent-into-drugs-and-alcohol : the debts to Jay McInerney and James M. Cain are equally
heavy. Darashikoh "Daru" Shezad is a young banker who grew up on the fringes of high society, but
whose lack of connections has ultimately brought him up against a glass ceiling. Of course, his
increasing predilection for booze and dope hasn't helped matters any; and when he tells off an
important client, the bank fires him. Meanwhile, his more fortunate, because better connected,
childhood friend, Aurangzeb "Ozi" Shah, has just returned to Pakistan from the States, with his lovely
wife, Mumtaz, and toddler son, Muazzam. At first joyfully reunited, the old friends are soon pushed
apart again, first by Daru's declining social circumstances, then by a horrific instance of Ozi's
immunity from justice, and finally by the attraction that develops between Daru and Mumtaz.

The title of the book refers to what remains when the moth is seduced by the candle flame, but it's also
a metaphor for Daru spiraling towards his own destruction, drawn by the allure of sex and drugs and
easy money. What makes the novel particularly appealing is that we feel right at home within this
comforting structure of genre, but are simultaneously dazzled by glimpses into an utterly alien culture.
Thus, a story we've heard a hundred times before comes across as somehow fresh and surprising.

First time novelist Mohsin Hamid actually grew up in Lahore, then attended Princeton and Harvard
Law, and now works in Manhattan. His familiarity with the very different cultures of America and
Pakistan makes him an excellent guide for Western readers. It's hard to imagine a more accessible and
enjoyable, though fatalistic, novel if you are looking to literature as a way to start exploring the issues
confronting the nation states of the Islamic world.

GRADE : A

I'd never heard of this book or this writer when I picked up Moth Smoke. Being from Pakistan myself, I was somewhat apprehensive...the gushing praise on the back jacket seemed a little TOO gushing, the context of this book seemed too easily marketable in a decade which has seen a feeding frenzy upon asian and asian american writers by critics and publishing houses alike. Imagine my surprise. I couldn't have had less to worry about. This is a truly compelling novel. In a time when words like "post-colonial" are tossed around like garbage, let me say that this work stands up and holds its own. As a document testifying to the various minutiae of Pakistani society and as a study in some very economical prose, with a crew of characters as remarkable as any you've ever read about, and as a novel that manages to engage the reader with disturbing yet very real questions, Moth Smoke is a success. Don't bother to compare this work in any way to other novels based around the same geographical region of the world -- your comparisons are pointless. This work offers a stimulating mix of fast, heady, prose that manages to linger -- somewhat like smoke itself. Mohsin Hamid has Arrived and I for one salute him.

Utilizing a style that is both sensual and textured, the author engulfs the reader in his world so completely that it is hard to shake the feeling that one has spent the last year in Lehore. The characters are engaging and even enchanting, as they continue to live in one's mind even after the story is finished. The sociological commentary and poignant descriptions of a part of the world just learning to come to terms with the anxiety of nuclear responsibility are both engrossing and (I think) important. And yet they can not, for this reader, outweigh the elegance of the literary style, the voluptuous descriptions and the beauty and depth of the character development.

While nowhere near the likes of Rushdie, Sidhwa or Naipaul, Mohsin Hamid can weave a good yarn. Moth Smoke will not disappoint readers looking for great bed-time reading. They will find in it a highly stylized,tale-noir, which flirts with reality a little too often. While Mohsin captures the Lahori mood reasonably well and has us all longing for a Mumtaz of our own, there are no original insights in the book, no penetrating observations of human relationships, no vivid descriptions of Lahori life and little understanding of the current social dynamics in the Pakistani society. Instead it contains several myths propagated by westernized intellectuals about our society whcih float in and out of conversations. The interclass dynamics are rather poorly represented. Similarly, attempts at analyzing popular psyche are somewhat superficial. Why were ordinary Pakistanis ecstatic when Pakistan conducted atomic explosions? Mohsin tells us it was for pride. He also tells us, from the mouth of Murad Badshah, that they would have to pay a heavy price for this act. The analysis stops there leaving us with the strong implication that ordinary pakistanis were blinded by pride and could not foresee the economic hardship that was to follow. but the problem is most pakistanis still do not regret the explosions, after having borne all the post-bomb hardship. Why? Pride again? the book does not go deep enough. When fiction pretends to be non-fiction the standards for judging it move a little bit higher. While it is not required to be completely accurate, it should not distort things either. Moth smoke is likely to play right into the hands of people like Ozi and Mumtaz. In doing that, Mohsin might be doing people like Daru a bit of a disservice.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long, long time....the prose are amazing, the characters addictive and deplorable all at once, the plot gripping...the imagery of Hamid's words is vivid..(the lust scenes don't hurt either). Knowing nothing about Pakistan before opening the book, I was shocked by how quickly I became captured by the story. Hamid's words are so descriptive that you can literally see the characters and the places in the book. This is one of those books that keeps you so hooked you've got to carry it with you everywhere so you can keep sneaking a page at every spare moment you get until it's finished....then after you're done with it, you keep thinking about the characters and wishing there were already a sequal to it!

There's no doubt about it: "Moth Smoke," by Mohsin Hamid, is an unforgettable reading experience. No matter what background you bring to this book, you'll come away entertained and enlightened...and don't be surprised if you feel a bit jet-lagged, as well. This novel immerses you in a fascinating cultural experience. For the duration of the book, you feel like you are living in modern Lahore, Pakistan.

The story is part love story, part satire, and wholly symbolic about the political state of modern Pakistan. The book is both a morality tale and a political parable.

At the start of the novel the protagonist, Daru, stands accused of murder. The structure of the novel forms a stylized trial. Daru tells us the story of the summer that lead up to his arrest. The summer begins when his bank executive boss fires him for a minor error of social class when dealing with a wealthy customer. Unable to get another job, Daru descends into drugs and crime. Along the way he falls in love with his best friend's wife and carries on a steamy affair with her. Alternating chapter-by-chapter with Daru's story, "witnesses" each take a chapter to talk directly to the reader to condemn or defend the accused, or to provide other relevant information. The book is filled with irony, parable, satire, humor, politics, morality, lust and longing. In the end, the reader is left to make up his mind concerning the guilt or innocence of the accused.

I was dumbfounded to learn that because the book centers on a trial, the author was successfully able to submit it as his J.D. thesis at Harvard Law School. Subsequently, it was picked up by a publisher and won widespread international literary acclaim as his debut novel. I must say I've rarely heard of another book with a stranger beginning!

What is most fascinating about this book for the Western reader, is its intricate and detailed portrayal of four levels of Pakistani culture: the ultra rich elite, the white-collar middle class, the blue-collar middle class, and the poor. The novel provides a culturally eye-opening literary adventure that makes you feel like your taking a journey through the seedy side of Lahore. The novel focuses on the decadent lifestyle of the ultra-rich--in particular, the Generation X children of the corrupt civil servants, politicians, government bureaucrats, and industrialists that form Pakistan's elite upper half-a-percentile.

The author knows this territory well. His father is a member of Pakistan's American-educated upper class. The author spent his early childhood living near Stanford University where his father was attending graduate school. Thus he learned to read and write English before he ever learned Urdu. After his father graduated, the family returned to Pakistan where Hamid spent his later childhood and adolescence. He returned to American for an undergraduate degree at Princeton and a law degree from Harvard. He worked for a few years as a management consultant in New York, and later as a freelance journalist. He now lives in London where he has dual Pakistani and U.K. citizenship.

"Moth Smoke" takes place in Lahore over the course of the long hot summer of 1998. This time period plays a key role in the thematic undercurrent of the novel. In May of 1998 India successfully tested five nuclear bombs, and in the summer of 1998, Pakistan responded with its first successful nuclear bomb tests. Naturally, the people of Pakistan were triumphant. Their jubilation forms the background for parts of this novel, and highlights its political themes.

The book begins and ends with a parable drawn directly from the glory days of South Asian prehistory, namely: the 17th-century Mogul Empire of Shah Jahan, the legendary Emperor who ruled over a vast Islamic empire including all of what is now India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, as well considerable territory from other bordering states. Shah Jahan is revered in Pakistan. He was born and raised in Lahore, but established many palaces, gardens, and mosques in other major cities including the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. All the characters in "Moth Smoke" are named after actual historical people who played significant roles in the life of Emperor Shah Jahan.

"Moth Smoke" is a book that can be read, reread, analyzed, interpreted, and enjoyed on many levels. But the casual reader does not need to delve into its many layers, or know anything about Pakistan, in order to enjoy the book. The novel has a compelling story in its own right--if the truth be told, it's a literary page-turner.

For me, "Moth Smoke," has been one of the most fascinating books I've read in the past year, but I must add this caveat: I've just completely an academic course on Pakistani history and culture, and this novel played a significant role in helping me pull together all the complexity and abundant problems Pakistan has to deal with on its road toward establishing a stable democracy.

The book has much to recommend it: the prose is outstanding, the characters are wholly-real and unforgettable, the plot is darkly alluring, the structure is intriguing, and the ending leaves you with a great deal to ponder.

If you finish the book and are curious about the author's take on its political themes, I recommend you visit the author's website, navigate to "interviews" and read the interview he had in 2000 with "Newsweek" magazine concerning this novel.

Moth Smoke is a spectacular combination of diverse elements- it is at once a gripping story (I couldn't put it down); lyrically written (images and descriptions have stuck with me for the last three weeks since I read it); and a compelling description of both privileged and underprivileged Pakistani life. Hamid manages to speak in a compelling voice, whether he is telling the story from the point of view of a frustrated young mother or a career criminal. I thoroughly recommend this book!

While it is refreshing to see a novelist of Pakistani originpublish a novel with a major publisher, I must say that this book isover-rated. Though the nuanced allegories in the book will undoubtedly strike chords with many Pakistani elite (often the ones who are web-savvy), Western readers must not take this to be a representation of "Pakistani society" ...

Hamid is describing the top 0.01 % of Pakistan's pretentious elite -- which is fine, but unfortunately the book is being marketed as if it were about Pakistani culture -- which it is not. In fact much of the "wannabe" cultural attributes that Hamid highlights among Pakistani elite can be found in most developing country elite from Argentina to Zimbabwe (I can speak from personal experience of interacting with elite from both those counties as well).

The imagery is lyrical and at times compelling, but the language does not reflect the stylistic maturity of other South Asian writers such as Sara Suleri or Anita Desai. Nevertheless, a good start. I hope that Hamid's next novel will also try and cover some of the more exemplary attributes of Pakistani society, particularly among the majority of the populace who do NOT drive Pajeros nor drink Scotch! END

This has become my favorite book, for its elegant, spare style, and the way it interweaves history, myth and contemporary life. I have given it as gifts to my closest friends, and would recommend it to anyone looking for an enthralling and beautiful read.

This is the amazing story of kids growing up into young adults wrestling with careers, lust, tradition, family, drugs and crime. I grew up in the US and never thought I could read a novel about growing up in Lahore, Pakistan and recognise so much: scrambling for petrol money, air conditioning, my father vs your father, traffic accidents, high security, nuclear war, a woman's ambivalence over motherhood, marriage and cheating. The economy of the prose is a joy. Read this book.