Book: The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Oh my gad. Dem feelz.

Why did I read this?

To help my COD and LOL/DOTA addicted brother get through the throes of VCE English.

Did I like the book? 

Yes. I loved it.

As I closed the woebegone cover of a library copy, I took a deep breath and leaned back in my chair, letting the crepuscular shards of sunlight hit my closed eyes through the window's laced curtains. I stared up at the ceiling and heaved, a single tear rolling down my cheek. I could almost hear Norah Jones' come away with me play in the background - the perfect soundtrack to a cliffhanger ending that was both sudden and utterly compelling.

What. A. Story.

Why did I crai?

I know for sure that if I had studied this book to death for VCE, I wouldn't have liked it as much, or even liked it at all. Firstly, I would have been way too caught up with the technicalities i.e. analysing the context, prose, themes, motifs, quotes. That would have stultified any sort of initial enthusiasm I had for the story. Secondly, I would have been too young and inexperienced to gage the significance of the protagonist, Changez's agonising self-discovery. 

But now, at 19.83 years of age, having lost the cock-sure attitude of first year uni and now grappling with issues concerning the uncertainty of my own future, I could actually empathise with Changez's problems. See, one of the main narratives in this story is about the 22 year old Princeton graduate's career at the exclusive valuation firm, Underwood Samson. After battling his way through a ridiculously competitive interview process, Changez wins a position at the firm and becomes its top new performer. Life seemed perfect. He got good money. He was dating a beautiful girl he had been smitten with for a very long time. He had won people's respect.  

But what does this all amount to in the bigger picture? 

Nothing, as Changez would discover.

His home country, Pakistan, is being invaded by American troops. His family lives in fear and danger. Pakistani cab drivers in New York are being racially abused after 9/11.

The love of his life spirals into depression.  

His company, Underwood Samson, gets rich by advising other companies where to lay off workers.

On the surface, his life seemed perfect. But behind the facade, things were pretty fucked up, and he was not in a position to change the status quo. To be honest, that's reality for most people. 

I related so much to Changez's story because like him, I once had a very clear image of my life's trajectory - I was so sure of where I was going to go. I was ambitious, passionate and idealistic. In fact, I wanted to change the world.

Suddenly, some shit things happened and I grew up a bit. Whether it be family or friends, academics or career prospects, some of my friends and I were becoming disillusioned, upset and a bit lost. We all felt the need to 'ace life', or at least show everyone else that we were. We were confronted with harsh realities and we had to make hard decisions. 

For Changez, 9/11 and its aftermath definitively changed the way he looked at America, but it was not until the girl he loved, Erica, committed suicide that he finally woke up to discover a robotic white-collar life at Underwood Samson did not amount to anything resembling true happiness or 'The American Dream'. He quit and went back to Lahore where his family lived. 

Of course, the book touches on a lot of other themes including American neo-Imperialism and cultural identity. These are pivotal catalysts for the story but for me, it was primarily Changez's harrowing love story with Erica and his disillusionment with his career that really hit me hard in the feelz. I guess my interpretation of where in the story lies its significance also says a lot about who I am and what I've been through.

I would recommend this book to everyone, especially people who are at least of university age. Not to be condescending, but I doubt most high schoolers, especially the happy-go-lucky ones would be able to truly empathise with Changez and understand the weight of his decisions.  

But... whatever. Good luck to my bro.