[.ca] Moth Smoke: A Novel (ISBN 0312273231)

From Amazon.com:
Since the late 1970s, India in all her infinite variety has been brought to life as a posse of Indian authors writing in English have exploded onto the scene: Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai, Rohinton Mistry, Vikram Seth, Bharati Mukherjee--the list is legion. But what of Pakistan--that Siamese twin, painfully separated in the partition of 1947? Though neither as numerous nor as well known as their Indian counterparts, Pakistani writers are beginning to make an impression on Western readers. Novelists from Rushdie to the Pakistani Bapsi Sidwha have written about the partition and the bloody civil war that followed; even stories set in modern-day Bombay or Lahore cannot escape the aftershocks of the division. On the surface, Mohsin Hamid's first novel, Moth Smoke, seems more domestic than political drama: narrated from several different perspectives, it tells the story of Daru Shezad's ill-fated affair with his best friend's wife, Mumtaz. But in a country like Pakistan, the personal and the political are difficult to separate, and as the story moves along, the divisions between gender, class, and opportunity provide a not-so-subtle commentary on the fissures that run through contemporary Pakistani society. The novel begins, tellingly, with a historical fragment about the internecine wars of succession that followed the rule of Emperor Shah Jahan (builder of the Taj Mahal): Imprisoned in his fort at Agra, staring at the Taj he had built, an aged Shah Jahan received as a gift from his youngest son the head of his eldest. Perhaps he doubted, then, the memory that his boys had once played together, far from his supervision and years ago, in Lahore. Jump ahead several hundred years to Lahore in the summer of 1998. Childhood playmates Daru and Ozi have just reunited again after Ozi's three-year stay in America. Glad as he is to see his old friend, Daru can't keep his eyes off of Ozi's wife, Mumtaz. "You know you're in trouble when you can't meet a woman's eye," he says. But woman trouble isn't his only problem; he's also addicted to hash, which leads to his dismissal from an upscale job as a banker. Soon Daru spirals out of control into a degraded existence on the fringes of society. Then a young boy is killed in a hit-and-run accident, and he is accused and jailed. Shah Jehan would probably recognize this age-old story of love and revenge playing out once more--this time against the backdrop of the Indian-Pakistani arms race. Hamid artfully weaves the subcontinent's tragic history into his characters' no-less-tragic present, rendering Moth Smoke a novel that resonates on many levels. --Sheila Bright

captivating debut:
Daru Shezad is fired from his banking job in Lahore and his life goes into a downward spiral involving drugs, crime, and an affair with the beautiful wife of a jet setter friend. This dark, involving story gave me an insightful glimpse of contemporary Pakistani culture. I was able to feel the emotion of each character throughout the entire story. A novel one will read from beginning to end before letting it's cover touch any surface. A very impressive debut.

Made into a TV MOVIE in Pakistan ...:
I thought that the book was great! Enjoyed it a lot! Shows the liberal side of Pakistan, which is not shown by the world media. I have news for you people, this book was made into a TV MOVIE in Pakistan and was a huge hit. ... And Pakistani TV programs and Movies have strong women leads, thats the case in real life too. We had a woman head of state in Pakistan, 2 times! We also have women military Generals and more women in the parliment than any other western/developed nation. I recommend that you also watch the DVD of the TV Movie. Lahore's social life and Party scene mentioned in the book are great....i have enjoyed a great deal during my college days.

Great Book!:
This is one of my favorite novels. It's well-written and has a unique style that just got me involved thouroughly into the lines. The movie adaptation is called 'Daira' for your info.

A glorious book:
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.

A Good Tale:
This wonderful novel is full of flavor and fun. An account of the upper crust of Pakistani society the author tells the story of two boyhood friends whose intertwined lives cause one ruin and the other hardship. This book also sheds light on life at the peak of Pakistani society where booze flows and the women are loose, the parties are lavish and the men behave very much like any westerner(so much for Islamic modesty). A wonderful account, full of flavorful writing and suspense. You will enjoy this quickly readable book.