Natural yogurt.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid.

This novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2007 and published in paperback in 2008. However, ignore the claims on the book cover because this novel is poor. How Philip Pullman can claim "Beautifully written... more exciting than any thriller I've read for a long time" is beyond me. This is not a thriller, it is a drab monologue.

This is a short novel, it is really a novella as it has only 209 pages that are printed in a relatively large font pitch. This story is told in the first person, where a local in Lahore, Pakistan called Changez, is talking to an American visitor. He tells how he left Pakistan to study at Princeton University in the United States, graduates with top marks and gains employment with top firm Underwood Samson. He then falls in love with Erica. This romance with Erica does not take off and you do not develop any empathy for Changez.

Changez is emotionally affected by the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 and then considers his life, his values and the role the United States plays around the world. Changez then moves back to Lahore where he teaches in the university and motivates students to protest.

I took very little away from this book. It is an easy read and is told in a very light style. It reminds me of bumping into a boring tourist on holiday who drones on and you wish they would leave you alone. The only colour in this book is when Moshin describes life in Lahore whilst Changez drones on to the American tourist, who adds nothing to this poor story.

I will not buy another of Mohsin's books as he clearly does not ring my bell!

NEXT book please!