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59th out of 202 books
—
916 voters
A Case of Exploding Mangoes
Intrigue and subterfuge combine with bad luck and good in this darkly comic debut about love, betrayal, tyranny, family, and a conspiracy trying its damnedest to happen.
Ali Shigri, Pakistan Air Force pilot and Silent Drill Commander of the Fury Squadron, is on a mission to avenge his father's suspicious death, which the government calls a suicide. Ali's target is none othe...more
Ali Shigri, Pakistan Air Force pilot and Silent Drill Commander of the Fury Squadron, is on a mission to avenge his father's suspicious death, which the government calls a suicide. Ali's target is none othe...more
Hardcover, 323 pages
Published
May 6th 2008
by Knopf Publishing Group
(first published 2008)
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Political satire.
I am an avid reader of both 'Global' and Historical fiction so this book should have been right up my street. Instead it took me weeks to read and I omly completed it because I was discussing it in a book group.
I did not enjoy it at all. It was certainly not 'very, very funny', as advertised.
I was not alone in my views either; 6 out of 8 other readers at the discussion felt the same way.
Although I hate to categorise books, we felt that this was a book that would be more appealin...more
I am an avid reader of both 'Global' and Historical fiction so this book should have been right up my street. Instead it took me weeks to read and I omly completed it because I was discussing it in a book group.
I did not enjoy it at all. It was certainly not 'very, very funny', as advertised.
I was not alone in my views either; 6 out of 8 other readers at the discussion felt the same way.
Although I hate to categorise books, we felt that this was a book that would be more appealin...more
An astonishing book at so many levels and still witty, fast-paced, beautifully-written and thought-inducing.
The first surprise is that a book of the nature can be written about actual, recently deceased politicians in South Asia. I am still surprised that the author was not banished in Pakistan or no major furore was created because of the way it has portrayed an ex-President and other powerful people of the time.
The second surprise - from an Indian angle - is how simple- and petty-minded (and...more
The first surprise is that a book of the nature can be written about actual, recently deceased politicians in South Asia. I am still surprised that the author was not banished in Pakistan or no major furore was created because of the way it has portrayed an ex-President and other powerful people of the time.
The second surprise - from an Indian angle - is how simple- and petty-minded (and...more
Ah! Where do I begin to write words on a book I have come to adore with every turning of the page? It's full of those little surprises and shocks a growing child gets to see everyday; before he has the ability to distinguish them as good or bad.
Yes, there is an element of wonder when reading about the alleged activities of the bygone President and the Pakistan army itself and why there hasn't been a voice raised against it. But that it all there is to it from my side.
It was interesting to read s...more
Yes, there is an element of wonder when reading about the alleged activities of the bygone President and the Pakistan army itself and why there hasn't been a voice raised against it. But that it all there is to it from my side.
It was interesting to read s...more
Having read a review of this book in the NYT, we promptly purchased it. Not the kind of thing we normally do but Sorayya needed to read it for professional reasons -- her own current book takes place in an adjacent time period and the same place. I will give you her impressions after I give mine.
I don't think this is a good book but it has to be read.
Its importance is that it fills in a crucial historical period in Pakistan's history and the history of the Afghan resistance to the Soviet Occupa...more
I don't think this is a good book but it has to be read.
Its importance is that it fills in a crucial historical period in Pakistan's history and the history of the Afghan resistance to the Soviet Occupa...more
9 likes · like · see review
رواية ظريفة ساخرة خيالية بنى الكاتب حبكتها على قصة مقتل الرئيس الباكستاني ضياء الحق وما حوله من أشخاص وأحداث، ولكن ليس فيها الكثير من المعلومات التاريخية. أعجبني فيها لغة الكاتب وقدرته على السرد بطريقة تشد القاريء. ولكنه لم يوفق في كثير من التفاصيل حيث لم يراعي حرمة للدين ولا ذوقاً للقارئ ولعله لم يقصد أمثالي من القراء فهو كتب للغرب ما يعجبهم ولا استغرب حصوله على تقديرات عالية في أمازون. على الرغم من جودة السرد وتتابع الأحداث إلا انه لا توجد مفاجآت والرواية أجمل اذا أتت بما لم تتوقعه. وكما قال أ...more
Although a black comedy this book is a timely read as it reminds us that 40 years of pouring in billions to Afghanistan and Pakistan has not resulted in any structural change that actually helps any Pakistani or Afghan, but instead has just created a different source of graft. Most of the characters in this novel are actual government and military officials, and he accuses former General Beg, who is still living, of mass murder, albeit in a book of fiction- telling that no one comments about tha...more
2 likes · like · see review
The story of this book is closed by a story of how the life of Zia ul-Haq ended. I think it is the only story that Mohammed Hanif tried to give to his readers, because he wrote in detailed how the General shared his mango party with his "friends" - including the US Ambassador and Pakistan Army Chief - on Pak One, the plane that exploded and killed his life.
For me, this book presents how a dictator runs his life, how he is surrounded by guardian soldiers who assure not only his security but also...more
For me, this book presents how a dictator runs his life, how he is surrounded by guardian soldiers who assure not only his security but also...more
1 like · like · see review
I picked this book because I believed the back flap when it said it was set around the life of Pakistan's dictator zealot Zia Ul-Haq. It was, and then some more. It was also about the dreaded ISI and a fantastic storyline about Zia's assassination. It was a bit of a let down given that it started off with a promise to tell a story around the all enveloping religious fundamentalist that marked the downfall of the Pakistani state but wound down, rather meekly, into a tale of corruption and palace...more
The “what” is never in dispute. It is a matter of historical record that Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash on August 17 1988. However, the circumstances behind the crash were never fully explained. This quirky book attempts to address the question of “how”. How was the crash caused – and by whom. And, there are no shortage of candidates.
Most of the story is narrated by Ali Shigri, a Junior Under Officer in the Pakistan Army. At first he seems a disinterested observer; gradually the read...more
Most of the story is narrated by Ali Shigri, a Junior Under Officer in the Pakistan Army. At first he seems a disinterested observer; gradually the read...more
Mohammad Hanif has a great writing style and construction in this book. There are two plots building up in alternate chapters to account for the tale of Ali Shigri and Zia Ul Haq. The book provides an excellent context to my generation ( born in the age of Zia), who do not have a series of narratives to explain the mysterious conspirational end of Zia ul Haq.
I started on this book after Ramadan, so the quranic verse relating to Jonas, regarding oppression of soul to Zia-ul-Haq made complete sens...more
I started on this book after Ramadan, so the quranic verse relating to Jonas, regarding oppression of soul to Zia-ul-Haq made complete sens...more
Its a bitter comedy of Ali Sighri Junior under officer in Air force who seeks out revenge for his father's suicide...The story moves around through the eyes of not just the protagonist Ali Sighri but from General Akhtar, the second in command., Major Kiyani,street sweeper Ali's cell mate,and the general himself..The serious plot is handled with blithe lending to the actual event of General Zia ul-Haq's assassination..At times cynical at times serious at times darkly humorous ..It's a far cry fro...more
A Pakistani Air Force officer plots killing president Zia to avenge the death of his father. Several others close to the president also plot the assasination for more sober reasons and by more conventional means.
The novel is a fictional backstory to the death of Zia, a bunch of his generals, and the US Ambassador in an unexplained airplane crash.
The story moves along and Hanif effectively puts the reader into the minds of several of the important characters. This novel has been compared by one...more
The novel is a fictional backstory to the death of Zia, a bunch of his generals, and the US Ambassador in an unexplained airplane crash.
The story moves along and Hanif effectively puts the reader into the minds of several of the important characters. This novel has been compared by one...more
(See more reviews at www.insearchoftheendofthesidewalk.com )
The Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif
Waiting behind a line of people to do something is not uncommon, whether it is to deposit a check at the bank, to get a coveted spot in a popular professor’s class or to get an armful of vaccinations at the travel clinic. The Case of the Exploding Mangoes, in a way, revolves around another line, a line much less mundane. Mohammed Hanif’s tale is centered on the queue of various folks prepar...more
The Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif
Waiting behind a line of people to do something is not uncommon, whether it is to deposit a check at the bank, to get a coveted spot in a popular professor’s class or to get an armful of vaccinations at the travel clinic. The Case of the Exploding Mangoes, in a way, revolves around another line, a line much less mundane. Mohammed Hanif’s tale is centered on the queue of various folks prepar...more
Jul 29, 2011
Catherine Woodman
added it
This from NYT review, and I think it is excellent at summing up this book:
“A Case of Exploding Mangoes” is set in the months before and the days after the crash. Far from coming to a conclusion about the cause of Zia’s death, Hanif gleefully thickens the stew of conspiracy theories, introducing at least six other possible suspects, including a blind woman under sentence of death, a Marxist-Maoist street cleaner, a snake, a crow, an army of tapeworms and a junior trainee officer in the Pakistani...more
“A Case of Exploding Mangoes” is set in the months before and the days after the crash. Far from coming to a conclusion about the cause of Zia’s death, Hanif gleefully thickens the stew of conspiracy theories, introducing at least six other possible suspects, including a blind woman under sentence of death, a Marxist-Maoist street cleaner, a snake, a crow, an army of tapeworms and a junior trainee officer in the Pakistani...more
A Case of Exploding Mangoes is one of those books where you know the ending before you begin. In part, this is because it� s based on a real historical event� the 1988 plane crash that killed General Zia ul-Haq, the dictatorial ruler of Pakistan. However, if, like me, you� ve never heard of Zia ul-Haq, the book� s prologue tells you that the crash is coming and that narrator Ali Shigri will survive.[return][return]But how does the crash happen? We know that Ali wants to avenge his father� s deat...more
I picked this book up because it is written by a Pakistani Journalist about Pakistan. I thought it might give me context and cultural insights. I guess it did. And for the few few chapters, I was enthralled. But in the end, I didn't like it. A few reasons. Reason one: maybe because I live here, and I work on policy issues, the book was disturbing enmeshed with reality, and I wasn't equipped to tell the two apart. How much of the story of Zia Ul Haq's plane crash was real? And how much was fictio...more
4 likes · like · see review
If you have that typically incorrigible habit of an average south Asian to enjoy a sneak peak in the private life of celebrities, then you surely are going to enjoy this. And if you love reading Dan Brown-esque fiction, then boy, this is a must read for you!
This book has every material to become a masala fiction like pompous powerful men, willingness of a young man to avenge his father's death, a failed marriage and a self-obsessed main character, who happens to be a dictator of a Third World co...more
This book has every material to become a masala fiction like pompous powerful men, willingness of a young man to avenge his father's death, a failed marriage and a self-obsessed main character, who happens to be a dictator of a Third World co...more
Who kills General Zia?
In 1988, Zia-ul Haq, the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 to 1988, died in a suspicious plane crash in Bahawalpur in 1988. There are many conspiracy theories around the accident. A Case of Exploding Mangoes tells a satirical version of the accident. The story is told through the narration of Ali Sighri, an under officer in Pakistani Air Force who wanted to revenge for his father's death.
Started with a story of a daily life of a cadet, the novel then continues with stor...more
In 1988, Zia-ul Haq, the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 to 1988, died in a suspicious plane crash in Bahawalpur in 1988. There are many conspiracy theories around the accident. A Case of Exploding Mangoes tells a satirical version of the accident. The story is told through the narration of Ali Sighri, an under officer in Pakistani Air Force who wanted to revenge for his father's death.
Started with a story of a daily life of a cadet, the novel then continues with stor...more
“With its dull grey fuselage barely off the ground, the plane looks like a beached whale contemplating how to drag itself back to the sea, its snout drooping with the enormity of the task ahead” (Prologue 1).
“The only female pictures are in a black-and-white photo feature about Nancy and Ronald Reagan entitled ‘When They Were Young.’ Even at twenty-eight she had the face of an old cat’s arse” (48).
“ ‘If he had spent a night in this cell jerking off to Reader’s Digest, he would have reached the s...more
“The only female pictures are in a black-and-white photo feature about Nancy and Ronald Reagan entitled ‘When They Were Young.’ Even at twenty-eight she had the face of an old cat’s arse” (48).
“ ‘If he had spent a night in this cell jerking off to Reader’s Digest, he would have reached the s...more
BARANGKALI inilah antara novel yang awal-awal lagi sudah memberikan spoiler tetapi spoilernya tidak mengganggu pembacanya, bahkan memberikan lebih elemen suspens. Ini kerana kita sudah tahu kesudahan A Case of Exploding Mangoes, -Jeneral Zia-ul-Haq mati, kapal terbangnya terhempas- tetapi kita tetap berasa suspens untuk menghabiskannya. Di sinilah letaknya kelebihan Mohammed Hanif kerana judulnya saja sudah bikin kita tertanya-tanya tentang apa kejadahnya buah mempelam yang meletup!
Nada satira d...more
Nada satira d...more
Meh. Definitely not bad (especially for a random airport grab. Word to the wise - the Hong Kong airport has a pretty decent bookstore! Maybe I shouldn't be surprised?). But the book lost me about 3/4 of the way through when I was already sort of wondering if I cared to finish it and it dropped an express reference to Chronicle of Death Foretold. I was like "yeah, you're not bad, but that book does this thing that you're doing much better." Somewhat as though a character in House of the Spirits h...more
Assassinations and mysterious deaths of political figures have always been a popular subject for novelists around the world. Mohammed Hanif in his debut novel, revisits the suspicious circumstances in which General Zia-ul-Haq was killed.
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was a four-star general who served as President of Pakistan from 1978 to 1988 after deposing Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He is one of the most important figures in Pakistani history. He was mysteriously killed in an air crash n...more
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was a four-star general who served as President of Pakistan from 1978 to 1988 after deposing Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He is one of the most important figures in Pakistani history. He was mysteriously killed in an air crash n...more
Books based on historical facts and those using real life characters are always an exciting read for me. There is a sort of authenticity that builds into the story as the author uses multiple real life characters of the time - somewhat like a conspiracy theory that you want to believe in. Reminded me of how I felt when I read The Seventh Secret by Irwing Wallace, almost believing that Hitler survived the 2nd World War and lived undiscovered and underground until the 1970s carrying on his Nazi re...more
1 like · like · see review
I am not a great lover of satirical novels - to be quite honest I often don't get them! - but this one was topical, being set in the Indian subcontinent, and full of funny oneliners. The descriptions of the Americans arriving for the Texas - Afghan fancy dress dinner at the embassy are great - of course everyone came in Afghani dress - mixed politics, social commentary and sexual innuendo. The sexual references throughout the novel as well as the political aspects of the plot must have been diff...more
2 likes · like · see review
Lucky us--we have a fresh fictional voice of the Pakistani Persuasion, as it were. Mohammed Harif is one very fine writer.
In 1978 General Zia kicked Prime Minister Bhutto out of office, later executing him and "reducing" civil rights under martial law in a harrying ten-year reign until he was mysteriously killed in a plane crash in 1988. Apparently his death spawned lots of conspiracy theories, and in a sense that's Harif's fictional purpose.
His protagonist is the son of a colonel who was instru...more
In 1978 General Zia kicked Prime Minister Bhutto out of office, later executing him and "reducing" civil rights under martial law in a harrying ten-year reign until he was mysteriously killed in a plane crash in 1988. Apparently his death spawned lots of conspiracy theories, and in a sense that's Harif's fictional purpose.
His protagonist is the son of a colonel who was instru...more
Most reviewers seem to emphasize the humor, and there are plenty of witty little vignettes, but for me the humor wasn't just "black" (and a comparison to Catch-22 seems WAAAY off--that was ROFLMAO funny, although it eventually unmasked a bleak view of the military during war), it was rather bleak and depressing. At least in the USA, a leader who thought he was chosen by God to do God's work, justifying secret prisons complete with torturers, had a two term limit. Pakistanis weren't so fortunate,...more
A Case of Exploding Mangoes, by Mohammed Hanif, narrated by Paul Bhattacharjee, produced by Clipper Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
This is a debut novel. I found it rather confusing, so I will reprint the publisher’s note. The atmosphere of intrigue surrounding the downing of a plane with Pakistani generals and some Americans on board in 1988 is the basis for this nove. IN truth, the mystery of why the plane went down hasn’t been solved.
Publisher’s note:
There is a saying that when lovers fal...more
This is a debut novel. I found it rather confusing, so I will reprint the publisher’s note. The atmosphere of intrigue surrounding the downing of a plane with Pakistani generals and some Americans on board in 1988 is the basis for this nove. IN truth, the mystery of why the plane went down hasn’t been solved.
Publisher’s note:
There is a saying that when lovers fal...more
This novel is marvelous. Hanif is often intensely funny. This skill makes A Case of Exploding Mangoes a first-rate comic novel. Like many comic novels, it provides a serious critique of the corruption of political systems, in this case Pakistan under General Zia al Huq. Not only does Hanif ridicule the pomposity and cruelty of Pakistan's military and political brass, he also skewers American involvement in the Afghan jihad against the Soviet occupation in the late 1980s. Osama bin Laden even mak...more
Book: A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif
In the first few pages itself, we come to know that President Zia-ul-Haq has died in a plane crash and the person responsible for it might be the person who narrates part of the plot. What follows is a series of a conspiratory theories, not only involving the most powerful men in the country but, also, a junior officer seeking to avenge his father’s death, a Marxist sweeper and blind woman . A character who stands out is Zia-ul- Haq, the maveric...more
In the first few pages itself, we come to know that President Zia-ul-Haq has died in a plane crash and the person responsible for it might be the person who narrates part of the plot. What follows is a series of a conspiratory theories, not only involving the most powerful men in the country but, also, a junior officer seeking to avenge his father’s death, a Marxist sweeper and blind woman . A character who stands out is Zia-ul- Haq, the maveric...more
Feb 05, 2009
Bookmarks Magazine
added it
Compared to the works of Joseph Heller and Salman Rushdie, Mohammed Hanif's debut novel is a darkly comic send-up of power and corruption. Hanif's prose is rich with detail and insight, and he skillfully juxtaposes humor with chilling images of torture and, surprisingly enough, touching scenes between Shigri and Obaid. Critics attributed Hanif's missteps
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Pakistani Readers: A case of exploding mangos | 25 | 41 | May 06, 2013 09:30am | |
| THE LISTS: A Case of Exploding Mangoes 80% | 1 | 4 | Jan 20, 2013 04:53pm | |
| THE LISTS: A Case of Exploding Mangoes 70% | 1 | 2 | Jan 20, 2013 04:38pm | |
| THE LISTS: A Case of Exploding Mangoes 60% | 1 | 3 | Jan 18, 2013 04:29pm | |
| THE LISTS: A Case of Exploding Mangoes 50% | 1 | 2 | Jan 18, 2013 03:59pm | |
| THE LISTS: A Case of Exploding Mangoes 30% | 1 | 4 | Jan 18, 2013 12:11pm | |
| THE LISTS: A Case of Exploding Mangoes 20% | 1 | 2 | Jan 18, 2013 11:44am |
Mohammed Hanif is a Pakistani writer and journalist. He was born at Okara. He was graduated from Pakistan Air Force Academy as a pilot officer but subsequently left to pursue a career in journalism. He initially worked for Newsline, The Washington Post and India Today. In 1996, he moved to London to work for the BBC. Later, he became the head of the BBC's Urdu service in London.
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“The generals who had called Zia a mullah behind his back felt ashamed at having underestimated him: not only was he a mullah, he was a mullah whose understanding of religion didn't go beyond parroting what he had heard from the next mullah. A mullah without a beard, a mullah in a four-star general's uniform, a mullah with the instincts of a corrupt tax inspector.”
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9 people liked it
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Sep 10, 2012 03:57am
I read it for a BG so I had time constraints - and I guess I did hear other people's comments on the humour.
They didn't persuade...more
Sep 10, 2012 04:48am
Jun 13, 2013 06:42am