As I was saying to you earlier, Mohsin Hamid is right in saying that the book is ‘unputdownable’.

Mohammad Hanif has gone on tangents in the plot that he could have done without; his profile indicates that he himself left military academy (i am assuming PMA Kakul) so if he describes events, one can give him credit for not only being a good writer but as John Le Carre has indicated for being a good listener but i still feel that a much tighter plot without delving on tangents would have helped.

Still this is a very good attempt and gave me the chills just being transported to Zia’s era. There are some extremely subtle points made in good humor and these are the best parts. My youth spent during the claustophobic 80s, it was difficult, as an instinct, to buy anything with Zia’s face on it therefore, as indicated earlier, the indian cover showing a crow peeling away at a mango has symbolism that connects two separate storylines in this debut novel by M. Hanif