“A hazy world seen through smoke”: Threshold Effects in Mohsin Hamid’s Moth Smoke

Abstract

In the introduction to his collection of essays, Mohsin Hamid describes himself as a "half-outsider," having lived in Lahore, New York, and London, and "considered all three home" (Hamid 2015: xiii). Since he began writing, he has repeatedly voiced his commitment to the transnational. But this global perspective does not preclude national attachment, and the writer has also used his access to Western media outlets to draw attention to Pakistan's struggles (Hamid 2018). Despite writing in English and being acclaimed in literary circles worldwide, he has also received praise in Pakistan, and was awarded the 2018 Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) by the President for his services to literature.Much criticism has been focused on the hit narratives that brought Hamid international fame, such as his post-9/11 novella The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), or Exit West (2017), his fable-like refugee narrative. But his debut novel Moth Smoke (2000) deserves renewed attention over 20 years after its publication, if only for its compelling portrayal of contemporary Pakistan.Moth Smoke is Mohsin Hamid's most directly Pakistan-based narrative. In that novel, the writer chose to address drug dealing, corruption, and class warfare, casting a sharp gaze on 1998 Pakistan which was in the throes of its nuclear competition with India. Set entirely in Lahore, the novel intertwines the perspectives of Darashikoh Shezad, or Daru, a bank clerk who loses his job; his wealthy childhood friend Ozi, recently returned from the United States; Ozi's wife Mumtaz, who begins an affair with Daru; and Daru's dealer, Murad Badshah, a rickshaw driver. Other protagonists include Daru's servant Manucci, and his former university professor Julius Superb. The main event of the novel is a car accident in which Ozi kills a young boy, and lets Daru take the blame. The narrative alternates between Daru's perspective before, during and after the event, and that of other characters, who all speak to a second person we understand to be a "A hazy world seen through smoke": Threshold Effects in Mohsin Hamid's Moth S...