Imprint: Penguin
Published: 05/05/2011
ISBN: 9780241953938
Length: 320 Pages
Dimensions: 201mm x 21mm x 133mm
Weight: 234g
RRP: £8.99
Discover this surprising gem - the sharp, funny and irresistible debut novel from the bestselling author of Exit West and The Reluctant Fundamentalist
'Subtly audacious . . . A steamy and often darkly amusing book about sex, drugs, and class warfare in postcolonial Asia' Village Voice
'You know you're in trouble when you can't meet a woman's eye, particularly if the woman happens to be your best friend's wife...'
In Lahore, Daru Shezad is a junior banker with a hashish habit. When his old friend Ozi moves back to Pakistan, Daru wants to be happy for him. Ozi has everything: a beautiful wife and child, an expensive foreign education - and a corrupt father who bankrolls his lavish lifestyle.
As jealousy sets in, Daru's life slowly unravels. He loses his job. Starts lacing his joints with heroin. Becomes involved with a criminally-minded rickshaw driver. And falls in love with Ozi's lonely wife.
But how low can Daru sink? Is he guilty of the crime he finds himself on trial for?
Imprint: Penguin
Published: 05/05/2011
ISBN: 9780241953938
Length: 320 Pages
Dimensions: 201mm x 21mm x 133mm
Weight: 234g
RRP: £8.99
Sharply observed, powerful, evocative
A first novel of remarkable wit, poise and profundity. A treat
A vivid portrait of contemporary young Pakistani life, where frustration and insecurity feed not only the snobbery, decadence and aspirations of the rich, but also the resentment of the poor
A rare glimpse into modern-day Pakistan . . . The voices that emerge are sarcastic and sad, a lively lament . . . reminiscent of V. S. Naipaul and Salman Rushdie
Not often does one find a first novel that has the power of imagination and skill to orchestrate personal and public themes of these consequences and achieve a chord that reverberates in one's mind. Moth Smoke is one of the best novels I have read this year
Stunning . . . [Hamid] has created a hip page-turner