Moth Smoke - Tapa blanda

"A rare glimpse into modern-day Pakistan . . . The voices that emerge are sarcastic and sad, a lively lament . . . reminiscent of V. S. Naipaul and Salman Rushdie."-Carolyn Alessio, "The Chicago Tribune" "It's Hamid's achievement that we remain charmed by Daru throughout; the fast- paced, intelligent narration pulls us, despite ourselves, into his spiralling wake."-"The New Yorker" "Not often does one find a first novel that has the power of imagination and skill to orchestrate personal and public themes of these consequences and achieve a chord that reverberates in one's mind. "Moth Smoke" is one of the two or three best novels I have read this year."-Nadine Gordimer "[A] brisk, absorbing novel . . . Hamid steers us from start to finish with assurance and care."-Jhumpa Lahiri, "The New York Times Book Review" "A first novel of remarkable wit, poise, profundity, and strangeness . . . Hamid is a writer of gorgeous, lush prose and superb dialogue .

Pakistan, Summer 1998: hot, with a late monsoon and the occasional nuclear test. In Lahore, Daru Shezad loses his job. While the jet set parties behind high walls, the economy crumbles and Daru's electricity is cut off. Soon he has fallen for his best friend's wife, started mixing heroin with his hash and joined forces with a criminal rickshaw driver. Moth Smoke is the story of Daru's spectacular downfall: a bittersweet tale of politics and corruption, of friendship and betrayal.