There is no shortage of post-9/11 novels. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid barely manages to stand out.

The novel is a one-sided conversation between the protagonist Changez and an unknown American he's just met in his hometown of Lahore, Pakistan. Told as a monologue, the conversational tone of the story grabs you from the outset. But this narrative device does eventually get a little tiresome (What's that? You want some more bread? Why look, here comes our waiter! ). I wonder if diary-like entries as opposed to a running one-sided conversation would have made the narrative flow more realistic.

In the conversation which takes place over dinner Changez recollects events from his past: coming to America, adjusting to Western ways, succeeding in school and the world of finance, a failed relationship with a woman named Erica, and his eventual rejection of the West with his return home to Lahore. The present-day Changez seems very open, forthcoming, and eager to discuss his life. The Changez described in the recollections seems stereotypically subdued and introverted. Someone who is not particularly religious but observant of his country's culture. A reluctant fundamentalist. This contrast between the past and present Changez tries to show how exposure to Western views had changed him. A lot of attention is also paid to Erica and her troubles getting over her boyfriend who died at a young age. She cannot seem to escape the past and it eventually consumes her. Similarly, Changez cannot get over Erica and continues to obsess over her for years. The parallels are a little heavy handed and more than a little obvious. Towards the end as the tension mounts it becomes clear that Changez and his views have become more radical.

At the heart of the novel is the idea of change. The similarity between the names Changez and changes and Erica and America is no coincidence. The novel is at its best when the monologues are long and uninterrupted. Over the course of the entire novel this literary device is sophomoric and not effective. The ending was easy, weak, and expected.

The post 9/11 emphasis of the novel is more about the relations and conflict between India and Pakistan and America’s stance regarding the two countries in the years after 9/11 as opposed to the traditional post-9/11 novel which concentrates on fear, America’s recovery, and the war on terror. The Indian-Pakistani view is interesting but it is not enough to overcome the rest of the novel’s faults. A half-hearted recommendation for The Reluctant Fundamentalist.