Description

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?

Publisher Review

Sharply observed, powerful, evocative * Financial Times * A first novel of remarkable wit, poise and profundity. A treat * Esquire * 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 * The Times * 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 * Chicago Tribune * 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 -- Nadine Gordimer * - * Stunning . . . [Hamid] has created a hip page-turner -- Jonathan Levi * Los Angeles Times *