Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

Moth Smoke jumps off on December 17th

Get copies for free or as low as .99 at Alibris, Amazon, Powell’s, Open Library, Hoopla, Barnes and Noble among other places.

Any suggestions on how we should organize the reading. Daily 20 pgs, every other day 20 pgs, every 3 days?

Thoughts please!

Can someone explain how Buddy Reads works?

Columbus wrote: "Moth Smoke jumps off on December 17th

Get copies for free or as low as .99 at Alibris, Amazon, Powell’s, Open Library, Hoopla, Barnes and Noble among other places.

Any suggestions o..."

Generally, Buddy Reads move at the pace of the participating readers and may move quite swiftly, as opposed to an organized monthly club read. I have not seen one where reading a certain number of pages as prescribed, but you could always take a new approach, at your option. Starting together, in the other hand, is generally a high priority. I don't have my copy in hand yet, so will join when it arrives.

Louise:

I’ve never participated in a buddy read either but from what I gather, Carol described it best. I guess there’s variations of it where some are more formal than others (informal seems more relaxed obviously) but for the most part everyone is reading the book together at roughly the same pace. A date range and select number of pages are often determined prior to the discussion and one may lead it with questions or not.

Example might be: Buddy Read We Love You, Charlie Freeman read from May 6th thru June 1st, 25 pages a day.

Carol:

Is that half accurate? Lol

Also, I have a hold on Moth Smoke at Open Library and it’s in transit from another branch library to my home library. Hopefully I’ll have it by the 17th.

Anyone else have it?

Columbus wrote: "Louise:

I’ve never participated in a buddy read either but from what I gather, Carol described it best. I guess there’s variations of it where some are more formal than others (informal seems more..."

I think Carol described it well.
I have participated in several buddy reads including with Carol.

I have found buddy reads are more fluid/looser than the BOM reads.
Usually the start date is agreed upon and the pace can be agreed upon.
But a lot depends on the book - some books read faster than others and often you do not know if the book is a "fast" or one that requires a more detailed read.
There is always the "spoiler" alert that can be used if you think you are commenting on something that can spoil the reading for others.

I am going to do Moth Smoke as an audio book.
I am going to be crazy busy for the next couple of weeks so will probably be in and out the discussion.

Beverly wrote: "I am going to do Moth Smoke as an audio book.
I am going to be crazy busy for the next couple of weeks so will probably be in and out the discussion."

Ok, glad you’ll join us Beverly.

I think this is a rather short book that we can condense it and finish up before the end of the year. Roughly 215-250 pages for each of his books I think. Would 25-35 pages a day be about right for a buddy read?

Both of my copies of Moth Smoke arrived today (physical and ebook).

How about we discuss the prologue through chapter 4 beginning the 17th. Chapter 4 is entitled Opening the Purple Box: An interview with Professor Julius Superb (already interesting). On the 17th day I’ll add another couple of chapters depending on where everyone is in the reading.

Here’s a wiki-link (unintentional)

Moth Smoke is a novel written by Mohsin Hamid, published in 2000. It tells the story of Darashikoh Shezad, a banker in Lahore, Pakistan, who loses his job, falls in love with his best friend's wife, and plunges into a life of drugs and crime. It uses the historical trial of the liberal Mughal prince Dara Shikoh by his brother Aurangzeb as an allegory for the state of Pakistan at the time of the 1998 nuclear tests.

PRAISE

“A first novel of remarkable wit, poise, profundity, and strangeness… Hamid is a writer of gorgeous, lush prose and superb dialogue… Moth Smoke is a treat.” –Esquire


“Stunning… [Hamid] has created a hip page-turner about [his] mysterious country.” –Los Angeles Times

“A brisk, absorbing novel… inventive… trenchant… Hamid steers us from start to finish with assurance and care.” –Jhumpa Lahiri, The New York Times Book Review

“Pakistan, seventh most populous country in the world, is one of the countries whose literature has been overlooked. Now its chair has been taken, and looks to be occupied for years to come, by the extraordinary new novelist Mohsin Hamid.” –The Philadelphia Inquirer


“A subtly audacious work and prodigious descendant of hard-boiled lit and film noir… Moth Smoke is a steamy and often darkly amusing book about sex, drugs, and class warfare in postcolonial Asia.” –The Village Voice


“Fast-paced, intelligent.” –The New Yorker

“Friends, a love triangle, murder, criminal justice, hopelessness, humidity. It’s set in Lahore, there’s a beautiful woman. Her name is Mumtez and she smokes pot and cigarettes and drinks straight Scotch. Read this book. Fall in love.” –Publishers Weekly

“The most impressive of his gifts is the clearsightedness of his look at the power structure of a society that has shifted from the old feudalism, based on birth, to the new Pakistani feudalism based on wealth.” –The New York Review of Books


“Sharply observed… elegant and evocative… a substantial achievement.” –Financial Times

“Brilliant… As relevant now as it was upon first publication twelve years ago.” –The Millions

Very short chapters and this book looks like it moves fast so an end of month finish is certainly expected. Looking forward to this one.

I'm still waiting for my copy. I suspect it will be a fast read and may lose something if we try to slow it, but you've got it in hand and are by far in the best position to judge. I'm tapping my fingernails on the mailbox daily with impatience, lol.

Carol wrote: "I'm still waiting for my copy. I suspect it will be a fast read and may lose something if we try to slow it, but you've got it in hand and are by far in the best position to judge. I'm tapping my f..."

I bet it’ll arrive tomorrow, Carol. I just picked up my physical copy from the library and started reading it today. Seriously, the prologue and first two chapters take up exactly 7 pages. That’s an example of how short these chapters are. The 3rd chapter is probably one of the longest coming in at a whopping 25 pages.

Has anyone else started it?

Has anyone started the first couple of chapters yet?

I was anxious to start reading this book to do a compare and contrast with Exit West. This being his first book and all, I wanted to see if his writing style was drastically different in any way. But it’s really hard to tell in these thirty something pages.

Some early thoughts:
- I know ideally with buddy reads you should stick with the arranged schedule and read the book along with everyone else, correct? I must be enjoying this thus far because I was really anxious to move on to the next chapter. I likely could’ve finished this book in 2 days if reading solo.
- these chapters are very short
- Darashikoh Shezad’s firing is the big event from these first couple of chapters. I purposely read as little as I could about the book prior to starting so I’m assuming the book is built, somewhat, around this event.
- Reading about fatwa's and Sufi's brought me in mind of The Kindness of Enemies where I first read about them in detail.
- I haven’t read much but I’m enjoying this book so far.

Reading and discussing chapters 5 -7 beginning Dec 20th.

I started it yesterday and got to page 49. It’s one that makes more sense to read in chunks, plus I had to get the characters name and stories really set in my head.

I was puzzled by so much about his firing. It had to be his goal (that he get fired) because his behavior was so far out of bounds, but then he is surprised and in denial and ... Who would give him a reference after that, so what comes next professionallya ? I’m only focused on what he is thinking and am wavering betweenature delusional, immature, not grounded on planet Earth, misplaced resentment-filled. I don’t know. If I met him socially, I’d keep my distance but watch for fireworks.

The GF’s a piece of work, too. I don’t have my copy with me so have forgotten which M-name is hers.

I’ll be more thoughtful as more coffee is consumed.

Yes, what’s with all these “M” names. Mumtaz is the girlfriend and she’s a piece of work like you said even before the big reveal.

I was wrong though, Daru’s firing wasn’t the big story here but the crime he’s accused of instead. Of course we know very little about this so far.

The firing was a sticky situation and I wonder how I would’ve handled that. I feel the customer was culpable and irrational and was being a real jackhole (thank you, J. Kimmel) I now wonder if he was coerced into this situation. Hmmm...

Since I have read all Moshin Hamid's other books I know he is an exceptional storyteller so despite being a little confused in the first couple of chapters I figured (and it) the story would settle down and I reminded myself this is a debut novel so it might not be as smooth as his latest Exit West.

When reading the prologue I was reminded of several novels I read by Indu Sundaresan which revolved around the Mughal Empire and Shah Jahangir and his offspring and the connection to names in the storyline.

Shah Jahan was widely considered to be the most competent of Emperor Jahangir's four sons and after Jahangir's death in late 1627, when a war of succession ensued, Shah Jahan emerged victorious. He put to death all of his rivals for the throne and crowned himself emperor in January 1628 in Agra under the regnal title "Shah Jahan" (which was originally given to him as a princely title). Although an able military commander, Shah Jahan is perhaps best remembered for his architectural achievements. The period of his reign is widely considered to be the golden age of Mughal architecture. Shah Jahan commissioned many monuments, the best known of which is the Taj Mahal in Agra, which entombs his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.

"In September 1657, Shah Jahan fell seriously ill, which set off a war of succession among his four sons, in which his third son Aurangzeb, emerged victorious.[10] Shah Jahan recovered from his illness, but Aurangzeb put his father under house arrest in Agra Fort from July 1658 until his death in January 1666.[11] On 31 July 1658, Aurangzeb crowned himself emperor under the title "Alamgir."[12]"

"Shah Jahan's eldest son, the liberal Dara Shikoh, became regent in 1658, as a result of his father's illness. However, a younger son, Aurangzeb (reigned 1658–1707), allied with the Islamic orthodoxy against his brother, who championed a syncretistic Hindu-Muslim culture, and ascended to the throne. Aurangzeb defeated Dara in 1659 and had him executed.[47] Although Shah Jahan fully recovered from his illness, Aurangzeb declared him incompetent to rule and had him imprisoned. During Aurangzeb's reign, the empire gained political strength once more.[47] Aurangzeb expanded the empire to include almost the whole of South Asia, but at his death in 1707, many parts of the empire were in open revolt.[47] Aurangzeb is considered India's most controversial king,[53] with some historians arguing his religious conservatism and intolerance undermined the stability of Mughal society,[47] while other historians question this, noting that he built Hindu temples,[54] employed significantly more Hindus in his imperial bureaucracy than his predecessors did, opposed bigotry against Hindus and Shia Muslims,[55] and married Hindu Rajput princess Nawab Bai."

And thought the final line in the Prologue would explain would connect the prologue to the story we were going to read:

"When the uncertain future becomes the past, the past in turn becomes uncertain."

Columbus wrote: "Yes, what’s with all these “M” names. Mumtaz is the girlfriend and she’s a piece of work like you said even before the big reveal.

I was wrong though, Daru’s firing wasn’t the big story here but t..."

Yes, the first couple of chapters go back and forth in time so it has you wondering - is this a linear?

It seems Daru has been messing up on his job and that is certainly concerned with getting high and since there seems to be much corruption in the society that he can "bribe" his way out of situations. But I thought he took it overboard when confronting the bank client - especially one that seems to deal in American dollars which of course the bank did not want to move to another bank.

Daru seems amazed that his friend has become such a "good" Muslim and seems not to indulge in his crazy prior behaviors any more.

Now Daru who seems like he was barely maintaining his lifestyle as he does not have the "rich" resources of his friends and others that they hang around with.

Beverly wrote: "Columbus wrote: "Yes, what’s with all these “M” names. Mumtaz is the girlfriend and she’s a piece of work like you said even before the big reveal.

I was wrong though, Daru’s firing wasn’t the big..."

Yes, it definitely feels like a “typical” first novel where you try to achieve so many things. It did start off as a little confusing to me but eventually I got it. Obviously, Hamid catches his footing in his sophomore and later effort(s) as you sort of alluded to. All that being said I’m enjoying this. I enjoy this authors writing a lot.

Beverly wrote: "Since I have read all Moshin Hamid's other books I know he is an exceptional storyteller so despite being a little confused in the first couple of chapters I figured (and it) the ..."

I loved the beginning and you've reminded me that I've previously heard of Shah Jahan building the Taj Mahal but the story of him and his sons is so much more. I'm intrigued to learn more about him after I finish Moth Smoke.

Beverly/Carol, can I change the date from the 20th to the 19th for chaps 5-7 since it seems like we’re moving rather smoothly?

Columbus wrote: "Beverly/Carol, can I change the date from the 20th to the 19th for chaps 5-7 since it seems like we’re moving rather smoothly?"

That works for me, Columbus. Beverly?

Works for me

Ok, thanks!

I picked up a library copy yesterday & read through chapter 5.
(I'll probably finish it by this weekend so I can return it to the library before vacation. [Backup plan = buy kindle copy.])
I'm intrigued how we'll get from Daru's normal life back to whatever crime was teased by the jail/trial bits at the beginning.
Thanks for putting together this buddy read. :-)

Joelle wrote: "I picked up a library copy yesterday & read through chapter 5.
(I'll probably finish it by this weekend so I can return it to the library before vacation. [Backup plan = buy kindle copy.])
I'm in..."

Glad you could join us Joelle.

I was afraid I would have to return the book before the discussion concluded so I decided I would jot down notes after every chapter. So, if I didn’t finish it I would still have notes available. I actually do that whenever I lead a discussion.

I’m also reading a memoir along with this so I can’t get to Moth Smoke as often as i would like to. I’m on ch 6 now so I’ll finish the required reading by tomorrow. I’m also putting up the tree, washing dishes, cleaning the house and trying to finish before the Falcons game tonight.

How are you enjoying it thus far? I’m so curious (anxious?) about this heinous crime and how it happened that I really want to get back to this book. Daru, what did you do?

Columbus wrote: "Joelle wrote: "I picked up a library copy yesterday & read through chapter 5.
(I'll probably finish it by this weekend so I can return it to the library before vacation. [Backup plan = buy kindle ..."

My head is still spinning in intimidation by your note-jotting, tree-putting-up, dish-washing,house-cleaning and ... the thing I totally get - prioritizing the Falcons game over all :)

back to your regularly scheduled program.

Carol wrote: "Columbus wrote: "Joelle wrote: "I picked up a library copy yesterday & read through chapter 5.
(I'll probably finish it by this weekend so I can return it to the library before vacation. [Backup p..."

Yes, Columbus' list made me tired - I would have skipped all of the tasks and go straight to the Falcon's game. :)

Joelle wrote: "I picked up a library copy yesterday & read through chapter 5.
(I'll probably finish it by this weekend so I can return it to the library before vacation. [Backup plan = buy kindle copy.])
I'm in..."

Glad you can join us - yes it will be interesting to see how Daru gets to jail.

I think I’m a little more convinced now that Nadia and Saeed’s home base was Pakistan in Exit West. Not that it really mattered cause Hamid could’ve used any of the other similarly troubled areas in that neck of the woods. I did have to look up Lahore, however, because i don’t recall reading a book based in Pakistan before (non Hamid book anyway). Has anyone else?

From Wikipedia - -
Lahore (/ləˈhɔːr/) (Punjabi: لہور‎; Urdu: لاہور‎‎) is the capital city of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is the second-most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi.[6] The city is located in the north-eastern end of Pakistan's Punjab province, near the border with the Indian state of Punjab. Lahore is ranked as a beta-world city,[9] and is one of Pakistan's wealthiest cities with an estimated GDP of $58.14 billion (PPP) as of 2014.

Discussing through chapter 7 which is titled Four

Columbus wrote: "I think I’m a little more convinced now that Nadia and Saeed’s home base was Pakistan in Exit West. Not that it really mattered cause Hamid could’ve used any of the other similarly troubled areas i..."

I like to look at a map of the country/city/area of a place before reading a book so I can have a visual before starting a book.

Ha! I thought yes, of course I have read book(s) set in Pakistan - then it took me a while to think so what were the books.

It seems that I have read more books than spoke to the characters migrating from Pakistan and/ore moving freely across the borders.

I am currently reading The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam. This is my third book by the author - one of the prior books that I read is set in Pakistan and Afghanistan - The Wasted Vigil.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid - also takes place in Lahore

The Shadow of the Crescent Moon by Fatima Bhutto.

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie. One of the my top reads of the year. Part of the storyline takes place in Pakistan. Also another one of the author's books also take place in Pakistan - Burnt Shadows .

Well - it seems Daru has gotten himself in a situation that is over his head in many ways.

I am certainly not liking Mumtaz - not sure what game she is playing at this point.

It seems that Daru being a witness (and confronting) Ozi (Aurangzeb) is not going to work out well for him.

Murad (the first name of another of Shan Jahan's son) is quite the character.

Each of the characters seem to be a "character" witness for Daru but each makes sure that they will "survive" and not harm themselves.

Beverly wrote: "Columbus wrote: "I think I’m a little more convinced now that Nadia and Saeed’s home base was Pakistan in Exit West. Not that it really mattered cause Hamid could’ve used any of the other similarly..."

Wow, quite a few books based in Pakistan.

I saw a video yesterday of 2 employees, buyers maybe of Politics and Prose bookstore in DC revealing their favorite books of the year. The one just absolutely loved Home Fire and I immediately thought of you. I must read this book and hopefully sooner rather than later.

Beverly wrote: "Well - it seems Daru has gotten himself in a situation that is over his head in many ways.

I am certainly not liking Mumtaz - not sure what game she is playing at this point.

It seems that Daru b..."

Haha. In my notes I have Mumtaz and a question mark. She is something else is she not. But I often think about how certain male authors write female characters and in this instance I thought of not only Mumtaz but Nadia as well. Well, I did find one commonality about those characters: Nadia = marijuana and mushrooms - - Mumtaz = marijuana and ecstasy. Not sure if I can deduce anything from that. Not a groundswell of female characters in these two books to really give a grade to Hamid on but I do like how he’s written these two characters (so far).

Read and discuss chapters 8 & 9 (what lovely weather we’re having....and Five) on Dec 21st.

I'm mostly caught up now, having just finished chapter 8. Definitely enjoying the book, although at this point I'm not sure entirely where it's going, or better perhaps which cliff everyone seems to be running towards.

I spent about 6 months in Islamabad in the early 91/92, while working in a Afghan refugee resettlement program. so, chunks of this is familiar although I didn't circulate in these circles all that much. I was more familiar with some of the mujahideen. Not all of the holy warrior groups were all that keen on the US even then, including one which got most of their toys from us and they didn't play well with each other, so there were groups I never met. We kept armed guards at the interview site as a result.

One peculiarity in the book for me is that Mumtaz and Professor Superb basically have the same name, Superb. Not sure what to make of that so far and maybe it's not significant, but I keep wondering if it is.

For me, the real connection between Mumtaz and Nadia is their secular and feminist tendencies, a largely successful effort to carve out their own personal space even though both use shields to protect them against religious zealots. Mumtaz is a journalist but has to use a male pseudonym to protect herself and her employer as well for that matter. the chapter of her visit to the bordello to interview the madam is very interesting to me. It seems the madam has also managed to carve out her own space.

I found Chapter 8 (re: air conditioning) highly amusing. Serious topics, but written in a diverting way. I'm enjoying the changes of tone Hamid is giving us in these alternate chapters.

The book continually catches me off guard. (So far I'm feeling this is a good thing!) For example, in Chapter 7, a section begins "My back is better by the time Ozi kills the boy." My brain did a double take. KILLS? What boy? I tried to relate this to the opening jail/trial chapters. I continued reading to find out what it meant. It's a strange method . . . not foreshadowing, it's too blatant for that . . . I'm not sure what to call it . . . a flash-forward interjection? It can certainly be enticing.

i got Moth Smoke in the mail! soon as i finish Augustown i'll read it. hmmm and this month's group read. i'm a sloooooow reader!!!!! and the months is 2/3 through!

Joelle wrote: "I found Chapter 8 (re: air conditioning) highly amusing. Serious topics, but written in a diverting way. I'm enjoying the changes of tone Hamid is giving us in these alternate chapters.

The book ..." Definitely enjoyed the air con vs non air con division discussion. funny and very real.

Read and discuss chap 10 & 11 (The Wife and Mother & Six) on Dec 24

George wrote: "I'm mostly caught up now, having just finished chapter 8. Definitely enjoying the book, although at this point I'm not sure entirely where it's going, or better perhaps which cliff everyone seems t..."

George, would you happen to know where Islāmābād is to Lahore and did you stay within the confines or venture out. I would imagine the area or everyday life is much different than it is nw but maybe not. Also,

I never picked up that Mumtaz name is Superb. I’m gonna have to look back to see if I can find that. Interesting, and if so was she interviewing a relative or what does Hamid have up his sleeve.!? Inquiring minds...

It's not all that far really, about 30 minutes by air. Both are in the Punjab, but Lahore is on the border with India. Punjab was split between the two countries. I did get out a bit, but as I was working as was my wife, not all that much and we were working for different organizations as Jane was posted to the embassy. We went to Rawalpindi a bit, which is basically next door to Islamabad. We flew in Pakistan through Karachi. The government doesn't allow foreigners outside of Karachi in Sindh after bandits captured a bunch of Japanese tourists rafting down the river a long time ago. My favorite trip was to Peshawar which had a pretty wild, wild west feel to it. It's in the Northwest Frontier Province and sits on the edge of the Federated Tribal Territories where Pakistani law only applies to the roads, otherwise it's all tribal law. Did a day trip into the Khyber Pass up to a kilometer of Afghanistan. Had to have an armed soldier for security. We could hear rifle fire at various points, although none of it sounded angry, just pot shots and you could smell gunpowder along the road. Lots of old Raj regimental signs along the road. All in all, things were ok in Pakistan at that point. Security wasn't that much of an issue although it has been before and is now. I don't think many Americans are walking the streets of Peshawar these days, much less going off into the Khyber. Of course, they actually burned down the embassy once upon a time before I got there. Having said all that, we had a very good time and our kids liked it a great deal.

Mumtaz is Arabic originally, or so I think, although I heard it a lot in Turkey as well. You can look it up on Google, and superb is one of the meanings

George wrote: "It's not all that far really, about 30 minutes by air. Both are in the Punjab, but Lahore is on the border with India. Punjab was split between the two countries. I did get out a bit, but as I was ..."

George -
Thanks for the boots on the ground insight.
It is always helpful and adds to be knowledge of the area.
Your description of the tribal law prevailing on the edge of the Federated Tribal Territories lines up with what I read in The Shadow of the Crescent Moon.

George wrote: "It's not all that far really, about 30 minutes by air. Both are in the Punjab, but Lahore is on the border with India. Punjab was split between the two countries. I did get out a bit, but as I was ..."

And you spent six months in that area with the refugee program. That’s not an insignificant amount of time there, at least I wouldn’t think. It must’ve been quite interesting then, and especially now hearing about it on the news constantly. I always find myself doing further research when reading of your time George in various areas. Bombing in Peshawar in 2014 killing 149 including 132 schoolchildren.. My goodness.

I hope as this story moves further we’ll get a little more history of the area as I’m often interested in knowing more about areas that I’m totally unfamiliar with. But i guess there’s only so much he can do in a little over 200+ pages. That red-light district though was pretty interesting and researching it I found it’s extremely popular and made up of young girls and transgendered individuals by night, and a an ordinary market during the day. Just wild.

Not that I have to like my characters in order to enjoy the book because many of the books I enjoy have horrible characters. But, I’m finding myself not liking these characters much. Mumtaz is really trying my nerve.

Is it frustrating to you to get all the detrails of the book piecemeal? Full chapters narrated by a single individual displaying more of the story. I know it often can be annoying to some readers. I, myself, love how these characters speak as if it’s directly to you, the reader in a fourth wall kind of way, Reminds me of Spike’s She’s Gotta Have it or Woody Allen’s Annie Hall in movie parlance. It also feels like a mystery or keeps you guessing and turning the pages wondering what really happened here.

Who or what are the moth smokes?

Columbus wrote: "George wrote: "It's not all that far really, about 30 minutes by air. Both are in the Punjab, but Lahore is on the border with India. Punjab was split between the two countries. I did get out a bit..."

Yes, Pakistan always has the ability to get very tense at times and Peshawar has always been a frontier town, very wild and woolly, even by local standards. I always have lots of stories, I come from an oral culture after all, but I'll try not to overload. However, here's a more pleasant Christmas story for you. One Christmas night I heard some noise out by the front gate and someone knocked on the door. It was our chokidar or house night guard and I could see a bunch of guys outside of the gate, banging on drums, jumping up and down and yelling, and while I couldn't make it out, he didn't look upset, anyway. I asked the chokidar what it was all about and he said Kreesmas, saab, which didn't register immediately, so I asked again and he repeated it a little louder. So, I listened to them once more and I finally made out they were shouting, "Heppy Birthday, Jeezuz, Heppy Birthday, Jeezuz. I asked him what they wanted and he said 50 rupees, saab. So, it turned out to be a caroling group. more or less.

Columbus wrote: "Not that I have to like my characters in order to enjoy the book because many of the books I enjoy have horrible characters. But, I’m finding myself not liking these characters much. Mumtaz is real..."

Oh - I have not finished the book but I will say that Daru is trying my nerves more than Mumtaz.

I like when each of the character's speak in their own voice as it helps provides a more complete and/or a different slant to what is going on with each individual and how their behavior is perceived by others.

Columbus wrote: "Is it frustrating to you to get all the detrails of the book piecemeal? Full chapters narrated by a single individual displaying more of the story. I know it often can be annoying to some readers. ..."

Not finish with the book but there are several references to 'moth smoke" and what it means to each character.

But basically I believe it means that a moth is attracted to the flame and does a "dance/routine" that brings them closer and closer to the flame until it is "destroyed" and nothing left is dust.
This seems to be built into their nature.

I can see Daru as a moth and Mumtaz his flame as I do not see the affair not ending well for Daru

Also Daru's need for money seems to have him being reckless and just going further down a rabbit hole.
So Daru is once again behaving in actions that are not only to end well.

At sure how "moth smoke" applies to Mumtaz and maybe other characters but think there may apply to other characters.

Also think probably also can be applied to Pakistan conducting the nuclear tests.

Once again like in all of Hamid's novels - it is his subtleties of the actions that cause me to pause and rethink perceptions of events/situations.

Hard not to see Mumtaz as the flame for Daru, but he seems pretty self destructive with or without her, so I tend to be far more down on him. Daru certainly could be the flame for Mumtaz as well, given their intimacy but it's not clear that will be the case. time will tell.