Hamish Hamilton

Reading Mohsin Hamid; Slumdog Millionaire meets The White Tiger?

Mohsin Hamid is a gifted writer and a wonderful story-teller, so it is totally to his credit that his latest novel "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia" is gripping. In fact, it left me wanting to finish the book, and I did so in one sitting or two. And that's despite the fact that it's not his best work, by far.

Hamid is undoubtedly one of the leading voices in Pakistani Writing in English (apologies, that's only as grating a term as the once common IWE). He is quite an engaging writer. Which is why I'm not sure that he flexed enough with this. Or maybe just he did just about enough, to pull off a competent, well-enough told story.

It's cleverly written and is a good story, don't get me wrong. It will also undoubtedly translate very well onto the big screen, and yet. It's not got enough meat on it, not judging by the author's own standards. I'm sure it's hard to live up to a brilliant first book -- but Moth Smoke was path-breaking, and offered insight in a way that I don't think the latest book does, at least not to those of us on the subcontinent. The Reluctant Fundamentalist, his second book, was also quite brilliant, and offered a different perspective in the increasingly shrill War on Terror.

This book is written as a self-help book and is funny and clever, and it's a bit of a love story, and 

How to Get Filthy Rich... is highly entertaining, thought provoking

Mohsin Hamid's books are biting and raw in their nature of storytelling. Nothing is rosy and that his readers are aware of. Nothing is sugar-coated. He tells it the way it is and maybe that is why his readers like reading what he has to write. Hamid writes about the society, the way he sees it. Whether it is a story of a young man in love in his first...  

'Calcutta: Two Years...' takes your breath away

Reading "Calcutta: Two Years in the City" by Amit Chaudhuri is like taking a roller-coaster ride. ...  

Artful lets you explore your imagination, ideas

Artful is all about books and the love of reading and what reading can do to readers. ...  

Zadie Smith's 'NW' is a cracker of a read

I have always enjoyed reading Zadie Smiths books. They are complex and yet charming. At the same time, they leave you with lingering thoughts about the societies we live in and the nature of humans. I remember not enjoying, 'White Teeth' the first time I read it. However, when I did read it the second time, I was captivated by her style of writing. The same happened with, 'The Autograph...  

'Silent House' is a treat for literary lovers

Not everyone I have met who like reading, like Orhan Pamuk. They say they cannot get into his books. Of course. It is true. One needs a lot of patience and time on hand to be able to read and appreciate a Pamuk. The first time I started on was with, 'My Name is Red' and it took me two rereads to be able to understand the intricacies and his...  

Pico Iyer's writing is broken, fragmented yet lovable

We all have our literary heroes. Sometimes in the form of characters, which we have loved reading about and idolizing while reading or sometimes in the form of writers themselves, who bring stories and characters to life. For me, there are so many writers who have changed my life and the way I see things and the world around me and then there are those who stay on irrespective of...