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How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position
CAN THE GLASS EVER REALLY BE MORE THAN HALF-FULL?
A young Pakistani academic relives his days sharing a cramped apartment in Aarhus, Denmark, with two unlikely bedfellows. They are Ravi, his incorrigible best friend and a wry observer of the human condition; and Karim, their fundamentalist Muslim landlord, whose apparent double life soon intrigues his tenants.
While Ravi finds his jaded world outlook challenged when he falls for an unlikely Danish girl, and our narrator embarks upon a complicated love affair of his own, Karim's bizarre and secretive behaviour leads to creeping suspicions that something might, indeed, be rotten in the state of Denmark . . .
By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position is a sparkling account of strangers in strange lands, told with wit and humanity.
A young Pakistani academic relives his days sharing a cramped apartment in Aarhus, Denmark, with two unlikely bedfellows. They are Ravi, his incorrigible best friend and a wry observer of the human condition; and Karim, their fundamentalist Muslim landlord, whose apparent double life soon intrigues his tenants.
While Ravi finds his jaded world outlook challenged when he falls for an unlikely Danish girl, and our narrator embarks upon a complicated love affair of his own, Karim's bizarre and secretive behaviour leads to creeping suspicions that something might, indeed, be rotten in the state of Denmark . . .
By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position is a sparkling account of strangers in strange lands, told with wit and humanity.
205 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2010
10 people are currently reading
325 people want to read
About the author
Tabish Khair
42 books57 followersTabish Khair was born and educated in Bihar, India. He worked in Delhi as a Staff Reporter until his late twenties and is now a professor at Aarhus University, Denmark. Winner of the All India Poetry Prize, his novels have been shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize (Hong Kong), the Hindu Best Fiction Prize and the Crossword Vodafone Literature Awards (India), the Encore Award (UK) and for translation prizes in Denmark and France.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
May 26, 2014
If you're going to begin a book by telling the reader that it is "a full account of the events that have exercised considerable media attention in Denmark in recent months and that involved me," and then refer repeatedly to said event in ominous tones, by the time the reader gets to these events, they had better be worth it. This is particularly true when the events don't even take centre stage occur until almost the 90% mark. Unfortunately this book didn't live up to its own hype and I found the denouement to be very disappointing.
The narrator appears to be in love with his friend Ravi and his incessant fawning becomes incredibly irritating after a while. He spends more time contemplating Ravis' thoughts, ideas, feelings and love life than he does his own.
Ravi as a character is unbelievable and I suspect is the author's idealised self. He is described as a tall, elegant millionaire with a "handsome Bollywood face," who "had grown up among Bollywood starlets," he "could have easily got a role as a star in an Bollywood film on the basis of his looks alone." On top of this he is the recipient of a university gold medal in history, has a "consciously camouflaged ability to read and absorb faster that anyone else I have known," and "a literary reputation in India and the UK....For more than a decade he had been rumoured to be the next Vikram Seth." Unlike the narrator his Danish is "beautifully intoned," he is a much better cook, knows more about Danish art and wine, and to top it off he has "perfect pitch." (which causes Ravi to lose interest in pursuing music, because perfection is just so boring, yaar).
When Ravi falls in love with the equally perfect Lena ("the broader beauty of Ravi's Bollywood looks somehow matching the narrow perfection of Lena's Nordic features" they were both "people who were born naturally elegant and had honed their elegance to perfection")their relationship becomes the major focus of the narrator despite the fact that he's also just started dating a woman known only as Mrs Linen Marx. We find out almost nothing about Mrs Linen Marx apart from the fact that she's shallow and a bit stupid, or Lena for that matter whose biggest fault is that she's too poised. I found Ravi and the narrator's discussions and attitudes towards women to be quite juvenile and sit-com like. None of the characters were very real but the women fared worst (not that surprising considering the book begins with an anecdote about "the only girl I ever fucked who had an MFA in writing").
The plot just meanders along, punctuated by dark hints about Karim's strange activities and the "events" and a pointless sub plot about a gay upstairs neighbour. The author then wraps it all up very quickly and everything is explained. There were a few interesting conversations in this book and I liked the glimpses into Danish life it offers, but it doesn't have the sharp political observations and humour I was expecting. The insights into terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism weren't exactly earth-shattering, and overall it was a disappointing read.
The narrator appears to be in love with his friend Ravi and his incessant fawning becomes incredibly irritating after a while. He spends more time contemplating Ravis' thoughts, ideas, feelings and love life than he does his own.
Ravi as a character is unbelievable and I suspect is the author's idealised self. He is described as a tall, elegant millionaire with a "handsome Bollywood face," who "had grown up among Bollywood starlets," he "could have easily got a role as a star in an Bollywood film on the basis of his looks alone." On top of this he is the recipient of a university gold medal in history, has a "consciously camouflaged ability to read and absorb faster that anyone else I have known," and "a literary reputation in India and the UK....For more than a decade he had been rumoured to be the next Vikram Seth." Unlike the narrator his Danish is "beautifully intoned," he is a much better cook, knows more about Danish art and wine, and to top it off he has "perfect pitch." (which causes Ravi to lose interest in pursuing music, because perfection is just so boring, yaar).
When Ravi falls in love with the equally perfect Lena ("the broader beauty of Ravi's Bollywood looks somehow matching the narrow perfection of Lena's Nordic features" they were both "people who were born naturally elegant and had honed their elegance to perfection")their relationship becomes the major focus of the narrator despite the fact that he's also just started dating a woman known only as Mrs Linen Marx. We find out almost nothing about Mrs Linen Marx apart from the fact that she's shallow and a bit stupid, or Lena for that matter whose biggest fault is that she's too poised. I found Ravi and the narrator's discussions and attitudes towards women to be quite juvenile and sit-com like. None of the characters were very real but the women fared worst (not that surprising considering the book begins with an anecdote about "the only girl I ever fucked who had an MFA in writing").
The plot just meanders along, punctuated by dark hints about Karim's strange activities and the "events" and a pointless sub plot about a gay upstairs neighbour. The author then wraps it all up very quickly and everything is explained. There were a few interesting conversations in this book and I liked the glimpses into Danish life it offers, but it doesn't have the sharp political observations and humour I was expecting. The insights into terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism weren't exactly earth-shattering, and overall it was a disappointing read.
January 8, 2015
I really enjoyed this. Funny, clever and very tender beneath the over-educated ironic bombast. Po-co English Lit does sharehouse bro novel is a strangely satisfying genre it seems.
I feel obliged to note that the female characters exist mainly as plot points for the men, which is a bit of an issue in any case but more so in a novel that treats its male characters to such humanity. But it fits with with the first person unreliable narrator.
I really liked that 'cultural difference' is sort of the novel's central conflict but it's the individual cultural difference between three South Asian men living in Denmark. Of course there's discussion of whiteness but it's not the focus. Even religion, class, nationality and age are present but not defining. Really the three central characters are defined and differentiated by what they mean by love and I appreciate the unabashed sappiness of that.
I feel obliged to note that the female characters exist mainly as plot points for the men, which is a bit of an issue in any case but more so in a novel that treats its male characters to such humanity. But it fits with with the first person unreliable narrator.
I really liked that 'cultural difference' is sort of the novel's central conflict but it's the individual cultural difference between three South Asian men living in Denmark. Of course there's discussion of whiteness but it's not the focus. Even religion, class, nationality and age are present but not defining. Really the three central characters are defined and differentiated by what they mean by love and I appreciate the unabashed sappiness of that.
February 9, 2017
I loved this book.
I found it to be brilliantly profound, though provoking, subtle and clever in a highly accessible and enjoyable way.
It has a great cast of characters and It gets into your head without you realising it. You think you know it all , but this story makes you think again. It challenges your preconceptions but in a really fun and down to earth way I found thoroughly engaging.
I Highly recommend this book. It didn't take me long to read but left me with a greta deal to ponder and think about, and it was a fun journey too.
I found it to be brilliantly profound, though provoking, subtle and clever in a highly accessible and enjoyable way.
It has a great cast of characters and It gets into your head without you realising it. You think you know it all , but this story makes you think again. It challenges your preconceptions but in a really fun and down to earth way I found thoroughly engaging.
I Highly recommend this book. It didn't take me long to read but left me with a greta deal to ponder and think about, and it was a fun journey too.
April 20, 2021
Suppose Chetan Bhagat had studied literature instead of engineering and business administration and was commissioned to write a book about terrorism and Islamophobia in Europe with the main characters from the Indian subcontinent; I think this would be the result.
Good bits - It is genuinely funny in parts, and the end is thought-provoking.
Good bits - It is genuinely funny in parts, and the end is thought-provoking.
March 4, 2016
Tabish Khair has written a marvelously entertaining novel full of tittering sexual references and darkly subtle, but equally quirky religious and socio-political themes. If one is expecting a certain amount of satire, you won’t be disappointed. But more often than not, Khair tries to disarm serious subjects not only through satire but also through a light, entertaining tone, laced with his witty language. The title refers to two sub-plots that drive a much broader story and theme of which the audience fully discovers near the end of the novel.
Immediately we are given into the manipulation of the narrator’s storytelling technique. We are simply puppets to his narrative, but not necessarily in a negative way. The narrator seduces and lures us into the three men’s’ lives, slowly unraveling his and Ravi’s love affairs. However, even though both the narrator and Ravi delve into the dating game, the narrator seems to be more intrigued with Ravi’s love life than his own. Thus develops an entirely detailed narrative that tracks Ravi’s various search to meet the “perfect” woman, through midnight escapades to bars and so on. But what does this point towards?
One begins to form questions about the narrator’s focus on his friend, in somewhat excruciating detail at times; there are moments when we feel like we know Ravi better than the narrator himself. In fact, he spends more time thinking about Ravi’s thoughts, emotions, and love life than his own. What is the nature of love that is so important to these men, and specifically what kind of purpose does it serve in the overall theme of the novel? Every subplot seems to direct itself towards the bigger plot, the “mysterious event with Karim”, but without knowing what the event is, how should we engage with these subplots in the meantime?
Prejudice, ignorance, and preconceptions about individuals and cultures are the primary causes of socio-political divisions amongst societies. Under these circumstances, I would definitely recommend this novel to readers who are interested in issues of cosmopolitanism. At the very heart of cosmopolitanism is the problem of generalizing individuals through “othering”, whether it is in a positive way or a negative way. To engage with cosmopolitanism correctly, one must have a blank slate mind set – a sense of openness to various cultures and citizens, and a constant effort to embrace one’s own culture as much as other’s. There must be a sense of mutual respect on each party despite different beliefs. One must value and embrace the differences but that does not mean one must debunk one’s own identity. And Khair successfully engages with these kinds of ideas through the story and his fascinating characters.
Immediately we are given into the manipulation of the narrator’s storytelling technique. We are simply puppets to his narrative, but not necessarily in a negative way. The narrator seduces and lures us into the three men’s’ lives, slowly unraveling his and Ravi’s love affairs. However, even though both the narrator and Ravi delve into the dating game, the narrator seems to be more intrigued with Ravi’s love life than his own. Thus develops an entirely detailed narrative that tracks Ravi’s various search to meet the “perfect” woman, through midnight escapades to bars and so on. But what does this point towards?
One begins to form questions about the narrator’s focus on his friend, in somewhat excruciating detail at times; there are moments when we feel like we know Ravi better than the narrator himself. In fact, he spends more time thinking about Ravi’s thoughts, emotions, and love life than his own. What is the nature of love that is so important to these men, and specifically what kind of purpose does it serve in the overall theme of the novel? Every subplot seems to direct itself towards the bigger plot, the “mysterious event with Karim”, but without knowing what the event is, how should we engage with these subplots in the meantime?
Prejudice, ignorance, and preconceptions about individuals and cultures are the primary causes of socio-political divisions amongst societies. Under these circumstances, I would definitely recommend this novel to readers who are interested in issues of cosmopolitanism. At the very heart of cosmopolitanism is the problem of generalizing individuals through “othering”, whether it is in a positive way or a negative way. To engage with cosmopolitanism correctly, one must have a blank slate mind set – a sense of openness to various cultures and citizens, and a constant effort to embrace one’s own culture as much as other’s. There must be a sense of mutual respect on each party despite different beliefs. One must value and embrace the differences but that does not mean one must debunk one’s own identity. And Khair successfully engages with these kinds of ideas through the story and his fascinating characters.
October 1, 2012
What a witty and ironic little book! I couldn't put this book down until I had finished it. Reading this book has been a total "glass full" experience.
Read
October 2, 2021This is a delightful novel. It is irreverent and self-aware and manages to be a political, literary, romantic page-turner. While many books can be fast-paced and political or irreverent and literary, it is rare to find these elements compressed into one short novel.
The story moves fast, and yet, it is not driven by adventure or intrigue. It is a novel about friendship and ideas, finally, and is full of memorable passages such as these:
" ‘Fascism,’ he would declaim over a few drinks, ‘is above all the ideology of order.’ ‘Exclusive order, you mean?’ I had once queried. ‘There is no such thing, bastard,’ he had replied. ‘You either have order or you have shades of disorder. All order is essentially exclusive; it does not have degrees, like disorder. You can have order only by eliminating. Elimination is its essence. All order has genocide hidden in its belly. Give it nine months and it will give birth, under clement conditions of course, to a holocaust.’ "
"I am grateful for all this and a hundred other small things. But I am also grateful for the knowledge that she can go on without me and I can continue without her; that, in due course, if required, we might both find our glasses more or less half-full with love for someone else."
" ‘She is one of those people who gets frozen into poise. They become a mirror of themselves, echoes. That is why all she can do is echo me: if I want to live with her, that is what she wants too; if I want to separate, she is willing to accept that too for our sake. She can never do something that is frayed, awry, unexpected. And the pity, bastard, is that she has it in herself – have you looked into those green eyes? I have never seen eyes that colour. There is a forest, a lush wilderness trapped in her eyes forever, petrified. She is a prisoner of herself.’
It is prescient but also insightful viz the role played by race and 'otherness' in piquing romantic interest, and the place of South Asian immigrants in Europe, both those of the working class and those who qualify as intellectuals especially in the post 9/11 world. South Asian writers based in (or semi-based in) Europe, the UK or north America, have written novels that touch on similar themes, possibly emerging from similar triggers, but I found this one refreshing for its lightness of touch and its emphasis on the protagonists' desire to reach for joy and fulfillment.
The story moves fast, and yet, it is not driven by adventure or intrigue. It is a novel about friendship and ideas, finally, and is full of memorable passages such as these:
" ‘Fascism,’ he would declaim over a few drinks, ‘is above all the ideology of order.’ ‘Exclusive order, you mean?’ I had once queried. ‘There is no such thing, bastard,’ he had replied. ‘You either have order or you have shades of disorder. All order is essentially exclusive; it does not have degrees, like disorder. You can have order only by eliminating. Elimination is its essence. All order has genocide hidden in its belly. Give it nine months and it will give birth, under clement conditions of course, to a holocaust.’ "
"I am grateful for all this and a hundred other small things. But I am also grateful for the knowledge that she can go on without me and I can continue without her; that, in due course, if required, we might both find our glasses more or less half-full with love for someone else."
" ‘She is one of those people who gets frozen into poise. They become a mirror of themselves, echoes. That is why all she can do is echo me: if I want to live with her, that is what she wants too; if I want to separate, she is willing to accept that too for our sake. She can never do something that is frayed, awry, unexpected. And the pity, bastard, is that she has it in herself – have you looked into those green eyes? I have never seen eyes that colour. There is a forest, a lush wilderness trapped in her eyes forever, petrified. She is a prisoner of herself.’
It is prescient but also insightful viz the role played by race and 'otherness' in piquing romantic interest, and the place of South Asian immigrants in Europe, both those of the working class and those who qualify as intellectuals especially in the post 9/11 world. South Asian writers based in (or semi-based in) Europe, the UK or north America, have written novels that touch on similar themes, possibly emerging from similar triggers, but I found this one refreshing for its lightness of touch and its emphasis on the protagonists' desire to reach for joy and fulfillment.
July 11, 2017
I liked this short novel more and more as it went on. Initially I was a bit put off by its laddishness. But I grew to care for all the characters, was gripped by the plot and enjoyed the comedy and poignancy. A real tale for our times
June 11, 2017
The narrator, a thoroughly secularized Pakistani Muslim who teaches English literature at a university in Denmark, and his friend Ravi, a Hindu from India pursuing a PhD in history, take rooms in the flat of a fundamentalist Muslim. Frequent foreshadowing lets us know that they will eventually become caught up in a terrorist incident, though that incident, when it finally comes very near the end of the novel, [spoiler alert] doesn't really amount to much. And that, I guess, is partly the point. Our narrator, a Muslim himself who is, however secularized, still susceptible to bias & suspicions related to terrorism, himself finds his landlord's innocent activities suspicious. This seems like a very promising premise for a novel, but it's not really the focus of much of the narration, which is not very well written nor, alas, very interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2017
Tabish Khair is quickly turning into one of my must-read everything by authors. With this and "the thing about thugs", he has to me proven to have a unique voice in creating characters from the sub-continent. Delightful, ironic and twisted little story.
November 20, 2018
Terrorism, prejudice, broken relationships and a slow paced book. Felt like drinking mojito without enough mint. Wanted more out of the book, especially because it had the potential. Very un-missionaresque!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
August 4, 2014How could I not buy this book when it has a blurb like that? lol sounds like a fun read - looking forward to it. :)
March 31, 2017
a nice novel, eventhough its titel is somehow misleading, but i enjoyed reading it. During reading, I had the feeling that i know the characters and I like them.
May 18, 2017
This is quite an interesting book for sure.
It had some very clever insights into relationships and human failures and some specific lines I really did enjoy, e.g.:
Yet overall this book seemed like a little bit too in your face with its cleverness. The metaphors and allegories in this are literally beaten to death by how frequently they are being used - if I have to hear about the aunties inside Ravi or the glass being half full ONE MORE TIME...
Then there was this "ominous terrorist incident" we keep hearing about in the book. The amount of foreshadowing is ridiculous considering how actually anti-climactic the event then turns out to be. It doesn't even occur until maybe 20 pages off the end and then gets dealt with in a few meagre paragraphs. Why even go there then?
Overall just kind of an okay-book where the title was more intriguing than the actual story.
It had some very clever insights into relationships and human failures and some specific lines I really did enjoy, e.g.:
"Perfection condems you to glorious mediocrity. It is in the gap between your imperfections, honestly faced, and your desire for something beyond perfection that you can achieve genius. Perfect pitch, perfect life, perfect love - these are dead-ends."
Yet overall this book seemed like a little bit too in your face with its cleverness. The metaphors and allegories in this are literally beaten to death by how frequently they are being used - if I have to hear about the aunties inside Ravi or the glass being half full ONE MORE TIME...
Then there was this "ominous terrorist incident" we keep hearing about in the book. The amount of foreshadowing is ridiculous considering how actually anti-climactic the event then turns out to be. It doesn't even occur until maybe 20 pages off the end and then gets dealt with in a few meagre paragraphs. Why even go there then?
Overall just kind of an okay-book where the title was more intriguing than the actual story.
June 12, 2014
I picked up this book while in the library studying for my biology exam. As with every exam season, I always manage to discover my dormant avid-reader. As is custom, I make a point to pick up any book whose author has any slight Islamic or Asian affiliation. With a name like Tabish Khair, he comfortably fit into the former, and so I proceeded to read the book despite being mildly surprised by the title and start of the book. I pushed through it, driven by the need to find myself in the novel; I did not want to simply relate to a character’s emotions and experiences, but wanted to be reflected in their colour, religion and customs. Needless to say, as a Middle Eastern Muslim woman, the non-practicing, alcohol consuming, and westernised Pakistani narrator in Khairs novel was pretty much, I conceded, as close as I was likely to get. I managed to finish the book in a day with a series of mixed emotions by the end, having been drawn in and challenged by the novel.
My favourite character was definitely Ravi; his conversations, mannerisms and ease in which he acted with Karim made me love him. References to Ravis ‘inner aunties’ had me doubled over, even in the tensest moments. However, this was sometimes overshadowed by my dislike of the narrator; perhaps Khair had purposefully made him so, and the contrast between the unlikely friends would bring us to appreciate Ravi more. Certainly the book revolved around him, and I appreciated that as the narrator became more cruel and unforgiving, Ravi provided a contrasting fairness and liberalism. I feel this book could have so easily been written from Ravi’s perspective with how deeply Khair delved into his emotions, and unlike the narrator, actually made some progression in the novel. The narrator only ended up in the same place he started; it too much reflected reality, and for that reason I resented Khair. I wanted the narrator to grow out of his meanness towards Karim, to feel remorse, to revaluate his perspective on religion and to get in touch with his culture; Khairs remarks on him being so utterly boring in his assimilation with Western society were true, and that he lived a Danish life better than they lived it themselves made me realise I had the same expectations as Mrs. Marx- I both wanted and expected him to have an exotic back-story with some kind of religious or cultural conflict. Instead he represented the rising majority of immigrants who simply drift away from their customs and religion without any need for a catalyst; it appears a natural part of moving to a new place and becoming a different person.
I realised I wanted this book to be more similar to Khaled Hosseinis ‘The Kite Runner’, making me aware of my own prejudices; I expected a certain fairness from him, a kindness because of where he came from and the religion he was born into. Instead, I found a cynicism and criticism. It was the Hindu, Ravi, who showed degrees of compassion and patience. It makes you realise that is how the world is now: just because a person comes from a certain country, or is born into a religion, does not mean you must expect sympathy and unity from them; they are their own individual, and a product of their education and society. This was not about a dramatic, exotic and tantalising immigrant-gone-wild story, but more a representation of a privileged and educated Asian middle/upper class who assimilated into their societies (only Karim had some sort of immigration-esque hardship which was only touched on at the end). As stated at the back of the book by Indira Sinha ‘the final joy of this magnificently disreputable novel is the realization that, like all great books, it has been reading you.’ This is what I truly felt by the end of it; it had disappointed my rigid expectations, made me reassess them and consequently, feel ashamed of how I wanted the narrator to get in touch with his religion and culture to reflect my own journey; instead, he was rooted in his work, unconcerned for others business, and was only drawn into a conflict when he became the centre of it.
After that, I could not resent Khair for his construction of the narrator. For example, his distaste for Karims rejection of homosexuality; there was no way to soften the reality that Muslims are against homosexuality and creating some idealistic notions of how Karim could have reacted, providing the Clauses were so faithful and close to Karim that, perhaps, it would stir his inner liberal; cutting ties and avoiding the situation is pretty much as realistic as it gets, and Khair presented that glaringly and unsympathetically. Such a depiction gave way for the narrators attitude: ‘There were times when Karims rigid morality, his conviction that Allah had personally pencilled the flow chart of his life, made me feel cruel towards him’.
Finally, I was pleased with Khairs descriptions of Denmark. Having been there many times in the past, I always felt there was something different about the place. I could not quite place what made it so strange, but reading Khairs novel finally put those feelings into words; the overall order of the place, the neatness, the cold and, most importantly, the sickening niceness with which Ravi described in his dream was the bleak reality of Denmark- the same aspect that both attracts and repels you from it. The narrator was able to live in such a society and assimilate with his cup half full, while Ravi’s ambitions became too large for the place and Karim was needlessly ostracised by a society he never really fit into anyway, a society that had moulded more to him, rather than the other way round. I felt Khair gave life, culture and customs to people I viewed as colourless and, well, very much like Lena. He was able to put together a novel that challenged, entertained and saddened, making it a definite second read.
My favourite character was definitely Ravi; his conversations, mannerisms and ease in which he acted with Karim made me love him. References to Ravis ‘inner aunties’ had me doubled over, even in the tensest moments. However, this was sometimes overshadowed by my dislike of the narrator; perhaps Khair had purposefully made him so, and the contrast between the unlikely friends would bring us to appreciate Ravi more. Certainly the book revolved around him, and I appreciated that as the narrator became more cruel and unforgiving, Ravi provided a contrasting fairness and liberalism. I feel this book could have so easily been written from Ravi’s perspective with how deeply Khair delved into his emotions, and unlike the narrator, actually made some progression in the novel. The narrator only ended up in the same place he started; it too much reflected reality, and for that reason I resented Khair. I wanted the narrator to grow out of his meanness towards Karim, to feel remorse, to revaluate his perspective on religion and to get in touch with his culture; Khairs remarks on him being so utterly boring in his assimilation with Western society were true, and that he lived a Danish life better than they lived it themselves made me realise I had the same expectations as Mrs. Marx- I both wanted and expected him to have an exotic back-story with some kind of religious or cultural conflict. Instead he represented the rising majority of immigrants who simply drift away from their customs and religion without any need for a catalyst; it appears a natural part of moving to a new place and becoming a different person.
I realised I wanted this book to be more similar to Khaled Hosseinis ‘The Kite Runner’, making me aware of my own prejudices; I expected a certain fairness from him, a kindness because of where he came from and the religion he was born into. Instead, I found a cynicism and criticism. It was the Hindu, Ravi, who showed degrees of compassion and patience. It makes you realise that is how the world is now: just because a person comes from a certain country, or is born into a religion, does not mean you must expect sympathy and unity from them; they are their own individual, and a product of their education and society. This was not about a dramatic, exotic and tantalising immigrant-gone-wild story, but more a representation of a privileged and educated Asian middle/upper class who assimilated into their societies (only Karim had some sort of immigration-esque hardship which was only touched on at the end). As stated at the back of the book by Indira Sinha ‘the final joy of this magnificently disreputable novel is the realization that, like all great books, it has been reading you.’ This is what I truly felt by the end of it; it had disappointed my rigid expectations, made me reassess them and consequently, feel ashamed of how I wanted the narrator to get in touch with his religion and culture to reflect my own journey; instead, he was rooted in his work, unconcerned for others business, and was only drawn into a conflict when he became the centre of it.
After that, I could not resent Khair for his construction of the narrator. For example, his distaste for Karims rejection of homosexuality; there was no way to soften the reality that Muslims are against homosexuality and creating some idealistic notions of how Karim could have reacted, providing the Clauses were so faithful and close to Karim that, perhaps, it would stir his inner liberal; cutting ties and avoiding the situation is pretty much as realistic as it gets, and Khair presented that glaringly and unsympathetically. Such a depiction gave way for the narrators attitude: ‘There were times when Karims rigid morality, his conviction that Allah had personally pencilled the flow chart of his life, made me feel cruel towards him’.
Finally, I was pleased with Khairs descriptions of Denmark. Having been there many times in the past, I always felt there was something different about the place. I could not quite place what made it so strange, but reading Khairs novel finally put those feelings into words; the overall order of the place, the neatness, the cold and, most importantly, the sickening niceness with which Ravi described in his dream was the bleak reality of Denmark- the same aspect that both attracts and repels you from it. The narrator was able to live in such a society and assimilate with his cup half full, while Ravi’s ambitions became too large for the place and Karim was needlessly ostracised by a society he never really fit into anyway, a society that had moulded more to him, rather than the other way round. I felt Khair gave life, culture and customs to people I viewed as colourless and, well, very much like Lena. He was able to put together a novel that challenged, entertained and saddened, making it a definite second read.
September 27, 2017
The narrator, a thoroughly secularized Pakistani Muslim who teaches English literature at a university in Denmark, and his friend Ravi, a Hindu from India pursuing a PhD in history, take rooms in the flat of a fundamentalist Muslim. Frequent foreshadowing lets us know that they will eventually become caught up in a terrorist incident, though that incident, when it finally comes very near the end of the novel, [spoiler alert] doesn't really amount to much. And that, I guess, is partly the point. Our narrator, a Muslim himself who is, however secularized, still susceptible to bias & suspicions related to terrorism, himself finds his landlord's innocent activities suspicious. This seems like a very promising premise for a novel, but it's not really the focus of much of the narration, which is not very well written nor, alas, very interesting.
May 4, 2017
The quotes on the back don't really do this book justice. It's certainly not an immigrant story nor a thriller. Quite simply it's a story of man but what differs is this man is not the usual white male protagonist with the story being told by a man from Pakistan. It's a wry read leading up to the same kind of denouement as "A Prayer for Owen Meany" with all the little dominoes lined up without the reader noticing.
Overall, I'd say it's a cleverer read than it first appears and doesn't challenge your assumptions but certainly makes you think about them (assuming you're woke that is)
Overall, I'd say it's a cleverer read than it first appears and doesn't challenge your assumptions but certainly makes you think about them (assuming you're woke that is)
November 13, 2017
The narrator is a non practicing Muslim from Pakistan, his best friend is a Hindu and they live in a rooms in a flat rented to them by an Egyptian taxi driver who leads Koran study groups on Fridays. They live in Denmark.
Forget your conceptions of who these people are and what their political leanings are. This book will turn them on their head. I liked the voice of the book and found the characters quite interesting. The payoff at the end of the novel was a bit pallid considering the build up. Still I enjoyed the book and will read something else by Mr. Khair.
January 6, 2017
The best book I've read this year.
It was so much better than I thought it would be, the characters were really engaging and I had to ration my reading so I didn't zip through it too fast. Loved it.
It was so much better than I thought it would be, the characters were really engaging and I had to ration my reading so I didn't zip through it too fast. Loved it.
February 19, 2017
This was so good.
The characters were compelling. I could hear their voices so clearly in my head.
It was a great and thought provoking read.
The characters were compelling. I could hear their voices so clearly in my head.
It was a great and thought provoking read.
May 8, 2017
Review to follow soon
February 16, 2019
3.5🥃 I may have to read this again! Loved the ending - sad and thought provoking.
April 1, 2019
Profound, witty and enticing. I related to all the characters -- especially the narrator and Karim. This book teaches us a thing or two about humanity.
November 7, 2019
A short book but still felt like a slog to read. Uninteresting flat characters and an uninteresting flat plot. Had some interesting insights especially to begin with but did not amount to anything.
July 28, 2020
I had such high expectations from this book but the story, writing and the characters were just a mess.
August 8, 2020
A delightful little novel, that appealed to me for the crafty yet easy way it is written and perspectives from an atheist born into a Muslim family that struck a chord.
September 28, 2021
“There is obviously a very thin line dividing faithfulness from fanaticism- and I wonder if, in a world full of easily exchangable commodities, we can even see that line anymore.”
October 4, 2023
Must-read for Danes! A funny, piercing look at Danish society in our post-9/11 world of seeing terrorist ghosts everywhere.
November 26, 2024
A book that I failed to finish the first time around despite its length, but come the second I enjoyed the more I read. Not what I expected it to be, in a pleasant way.
January 21, 2025
Love the tone of the writing. Yet the ending felt underwhelming. Maybe I was expecting something or maybe I shouldn't have knowing the tone of the writing. Overall, an interesting read
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