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Old 07-Jun-2008, 08:45
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Colette Jones Colette Jones is offline
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Default Re: Mohsin Hamid: The Reluctant Fundamentalist

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Originally Posted by B&b ex libris
Just be aware of the anti-American sentiment.
Yes, beware! Here's what I wrote about it shortly after reading it:
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I believe it was the failed relationship rather than any real political conviction which "changed" Changez. In the current climate, when it is so fashionable to have anti-American sentiments, Hamid provides us with a character who uses that fashion as an excuse to get away from something he can't handle. Genius!
Unfortunately, lots of people take Changez' preaching as support for their own prejudice, causing me to say this:
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It is these possible readings of the novel that made me reluctant to rate it higher. I eventually did rate it very highly because of the way I read it, which was quite light-hearted and fun. I have to hope it doesn't win though, because of the possible anti-American readings, which are much more likely in the current climate than the way I read it.
and
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I wonder how many people reading it will not realize it is set over a year before the Iraq war, and attribute Changez's decisions to that situation.
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