A Washington Post, Rocky Mountain News, Boston Globe Best Book of the Year
Intrigue and subterfuge combine with ... read full description
Intrigue and subterfuge combine with ... read full description
reviews
Jul 02, 2008
Naeem
rated it: 
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 Afgha 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 Afgha More...
Oct 11, 2011
DubaiReader
rated it:
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 bo 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 bo More...
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Jun 27, 2011
Dalia
rated it: 
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 t
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2 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 29, 2011
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...
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Jul 29, 2011
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...
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Jul 24, 2011
Sana
rated it:
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 i 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 i More...
Oct 22, 2010
قصي
rated it: 
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
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Sep 27, 2010
Teresa
rated it:
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
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Jun 04, 2010
Windy2go
rated it:
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 wa
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(3 people liked it)
Nov 18, 2010
Mohd Nazmi
rated it:
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!
Nad More...
Nad More...
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(2 people liked it)
Oct 04, 2009
Vanessa
rated it:
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 th
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Feb 01, 2012
Bigsna
rated it:
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
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Jul 29, 2010
Sheila
rated it:
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
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(2 people liked it)
Nov 21, 2008
Stephanie
rated it: 
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 t 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 t More...
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(2 people liked it)
Aug 03, 2009
Carl
rated it:
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
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Jan 05, 2009
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 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 More...
Nov 20, 2010
Steven
rated it:
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 eve
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Feb 05, 2009
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 misstepsa lack of depth and persuasivenessto his inexperience. This is a debut novel, and an ambitious one at that. Even the San Francisco Chronicle
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Aug 03, 2011
Emily
rated it:
This is a fictionalized version of how General Zia, a dictator of Pakistan, and his generals died in a plane crash in 1988. This crash also killed the American ambassador to Pakistan. These are historical facts. However, that is the only portion of the book that is true. Or is it?
The main character is Ali Shagri, whose father has committed suicide under suspicious circumstances. He is determined to seek revenge for what he believes is murder. Interwoven in his story is the tale o More...
The main character is Ali Shagri, whose father has committed suicide under suspicious circumstances. He is determined to seek revenge for what he believes is murder. Interwoven in his story is the tale o More...
Feb 19, 2009
Fathima
rated it:
funny, often darkly so. reminiscent, because of its subject matter of Rushdie's Shame, but not quite as (oh dreaded word) colorful. it doesn't hit you over the head with exuberance and craziness, in the way Shame does, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
i still feel somehow distanced from the novel, as though it hadn't quite touched me. maybe i'm asking for the wrong things, though, as Shigri is a very restrained character. maybe i'd been expecting more of an awareness built into the nar More...
i still feel somehow distanced from the novel, as though it hadn't quite touched me. maybe i'm asking for the wrong things, though, as Shigri is a very restrained character. maybe i'd been expecting more of an awareness built into the nar More...
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 30, 2009
Rachael
rated it:
Overall, this was a fun and informative read, especially if you enjoy comedic conspiracy theories. I really have extremely limited knowledge about Pakistan and was intrigued by the militant incompetence of the ruling regime in this fictitional story, since it is so similar to my cynical view of how things probably really do happen in life. However, I once again find myself annoyed by the total far-fetchedness of the story. Incompetent people in power who make dumb decisions? Yes, give me mor
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Oct 09, 2008
Karlan
rated it:
This novel is based on story of the 1988 crash which killed General Zia, Pakistan's ruler. A young pilot in training wants to avenge his father's death and conducts his own odd investigation until he finds General Zia guilty. The novel uses a brisk amusing style to tell an awful story.
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May 11, 2010
Mateo
rated it:
Despite having one of the worst titles for a book I can think of this side of A Child's Garden of Rectal Itch Poetry, A Case of Exploding Mangoes proved to be a good and gripping read, as well as a boon for anyone who wants to read a bit about modern Pakistan but who's over his or her Rushdie period and doesn't want to slog through Midnight's Children. A Case of Exploding Mangoes is the Pakistan version of Vargas-Llosa's classic Feast of the Goat, an inside-the-cranium look at a corrupt and vic
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Jul 26, 2011
While it might help, you don’t really need to know about Pakistan’s history to really enjoy this book. Mohammed Hanif has the ability to make you care about varied characters, even the purported villains.
Ali Shigri is the main character, but the book is written from the points of view of multiple characters, which removes it from a narrow tale about revenge, into a much broader story encompassing as many concerns as there are characters.
I found that I was eager to get to each ch More...
Ali Shigri is the main character, but the book is written from the points of view of multiple characters, which removes it from a narrow tale about revenge, into a much broader story encompassing as many concerns as there are characters.
I found that I was eager to get to each ch More...
Jan 26, 2012
Famma
rated it:
I have been meaning to read this book for a long time. It’s a General Dark Comical Fiction with strong character, though I still doubt some part of the book. Foul language is used which I guess is a part of normal day occurrence in army. I am not sure how the writer got the intimate details of how first lady sleep or How Arnold aka arnie was planning to spend the night with Nancy and the relationship of Ali Shigri and Obaid.
It also contain a story of Blind Zainab and Scandal of Joanne Her More...
It also contain a story of Blind Zainab and Scandal of Joanne Her More...
Jun 30, 2009
Shannon
rated it:
On the 17th of August, 1988, Pakistani president General Zia ul-Haq was killed when his plane crashed, along with the American ambassador Arnold Raphel. Because of his position as a deeply Islamic leader and his direct involvement in helping Afghan guerillas drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan (liberally funded by the US), there are plenty of conspiracy theories surrounding his death. In A Case of Exploding Mangoes, Hanif has presented a highly sophisticated, detailed and intensely ironic satir
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May 29, 2009
Pankhuree
rated it:
Engrossing, funny and informative. With a unsubtle nod to Marquez, the author uses the assasination of Pakistani dictator Zia to show how truth is more outrageous than fiction and waxed-mustache-wearing dictators--whether Latin American or Pakistani--are dangerously ridiculous. No detail is superflous. Every incident and character was tied back to the ultimate denouement in a witty, engaging manner. As I was reading it, I began looking up the historical events it documents: Joanne Herring, the T
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Nov 07, 2010
Michael
rated it:
This book could also have been called "The dangerous life of a Third World dictator, or who killed Muhammad Zia ul-Haq?". Based on the real event of General Zia dying in a plane crash and the conspiracy theories surrounding the incident, Hanif tells a funny story from the perspective of Ali Shigri, a young soldier seeking revenge for his father's death.
I was a bit undecided wether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. It's quite the page turner, but lacks a certain depth. In the e More...
I was a bit undecided wether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. It's quite the page turner, but lacks a certain depth. In the e More...
Jan 13, 2010
ashok
rated it:
I picked this up while waiting i an airport -- but on hindsight, perhaps not the best book to carry aboard a plane since the cover of my edition had an exploding aeroplane. I did get more than a few questions from airport security.
Pakistani writer, Mohammed Hanif, aims to provide a fictitious account of the plot to assassinate the Pakistani dictator Zia ul Haq. It is well paced and a breezy read -- and some of the characters (like Zia al Haq) have been caricatured extremely well.
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Pakistani writer, Mohammed Hanif, aims to provide a fictitious account of the plot to assassinate the Pakistani dictator Zia ul Haq. It is well paced and a breezy read -- and some of the characters (like Zia al Haq) have been caricatured extremely well.
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Sep 28, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
From Publishers Weekly: "Pakistan's ongoing political turmoil adds a piquant edge to this fact-based farce spun from the mysterious 1988 plane crash that killed General Zia, the dictator who toppled Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, father of recently assassinated Benazir Bhutto. Two parallel assassination plots converge in Hanif's darkly comic debut: Air Force Junior Under Officer Ali Shigri, sure that his renowned military father's alleged suicide was actually a murder, hopes to kill Zia, who he holds
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