Hard to review this book because it was a first-person narrative told to a relative stranger over a meal in Lahore, Pakistan. The protagonist is a Pakistani native, who attended Princeton University on a scholarship and then stayed in New York City, working for a large corporation. Much of his story takes place there. After 9/11, though, everything changed, particularly the way in which Asians were treated here and he eventually returned to Pakistan, but it also explores the notion of cultural pride when it is in conflict with one's sense of morality. Must wonder how much was partly autobiographical, and there were many keen observations throughout. ( )

You like him; you think he's a jerk. You pity him; you fear him. But in the end you respect him. ( )

The narrator of this book is a Pakistani man who goes to Princeton and then gets a job at a prestigious financial firm in New York City. He has a strange unrequited relationship with a young woman who can't let go of her love for her tragically deceased boyfriend. He thrives in the US, works very hard at his job, and loves his decadent Western life. Then the 9/11 attacks happen, and he sees the backlash against Muslims, and he becomes disillusioned about the US.

I think this book might have lost some of its impact in the 20+ years since 9/11. I didn't find anything particularly shocking or revelatory. To me it is not surprising that a Muslim immigrant would have anti-American feelings, especially after how viciously the US reacted to 9/11.

"Reluctant Fundamentalist" seems like a very strange title. The narrator does not become a religious fundamentalist. He might be labeled a terrorist sympathizer, but actual religious doctrine is not mentioned at all in this book.

The pacing of the story is strange. The book has a very long build-up to 9/11, and then seems to end pretty quickly. The whole storyline with the girlfriend doesn't seem to add anything to the story. ( )

The love arc was a blatant rip off of Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. Spoiled the entire book for me. ( )

This book is interesting on several levels. First, the voice grabs you. Second, it is written as though the narrator is speaking to a person over a meal, but we never meet the other person except through the eyes of the narrator. It sounds weird, but it works. Finally, the author convincingly parallels the story of a failed love relationship to the relationship of the United States to the Muslims in its midst. This is done in a subtle way so maybe I'm misinterpreting it, but that's why I'd recommend this book -- especially for a book club -- it definitely leaves you with some thinking to do on our post 9/11 lives. ( )