Just finished reading Mohammad Hanif’s book A Case of Exploding Mangoes. After Mohsin Hamid’s Moth Smoke ( didn’t enjoy the Reluctant Fundamentalism as much) this is one book that we thoroughly enjoyed as like Moth Smoke Exploding Mangoes flows. The narration is engrossing and the way Hanif has succeeded in weaving the story line is great. Particularly love the passage:
As they approach the red carpet that leads to the Pak One staircase, you can immediately tell that I am the only one in the frame smiling but when I salute and start walking towards the aero plane, my smile vanishes .I know I am saluting a bunch of dead men. But if you are in uniform, you salute. That’s all there is to it. “This para captures the military’s mindset to the T. Standard SOPs need to be followed even if one is conspiring murder. “That’s all there is to it”
The book also mentions the sly Ray Ban wearing General Beg (of the Midnight Jackal operation and MehranBank scandal but who now champions democracy still wearing his Ray Bans though! ) General Akhtar ( father of former federal Minister Humayun Akhtar who was bought shares in Pepsi Pakistan in cash in the 80s ) Brig TM ( who all of us grew up watching on Pakistan Day) and of course the regressive and oppressive General Zia. The book ridicules all these characters and the reader enjoys it. At least we did. Perhaps because as a friend said ,“ All of us hate them and the beauty of the book is that for our generation, it is the equivalent of creating voodoo dolls of all these characters. ”
All in all a must read . Also leaves one to ask : mangoes anyone?