“Look, unless you’re writing one, a self-help book is an oxymoron. You read a self-help book so someone who isn’t yourself can help you, that someone being the author…None of the foregoing means that self-help books are useless. On the contrary they can be useful indeed, but it does mean that the idea of self in the land of self-help is a slippery one.”

And with this intriguing beginning we are thrown in to the beguiling story of one man’s journey to become filthy rich in rising Asia.

Our unnamed hero is the third child in a impoverished family who moves to a larger unnamed city somewhere in what might be India. And slowly, by following the precepts that begin with each chapter: “Move to the City,” “Get an Education,” and  “Don’t Fall in Love,” etc., he grows up and establishes himself as a successful businessman in the big city. What is interesting however is that although he does try to follow each precept, life is not always so cut and dried. The boy does try and get an education, but his opportunities for education are limited and corporal punishment the norm. The boy does fall in love with a “pretty little girl,” but for many reasons they are unable to be together, and although as a man becomes prosperous, prosperity does not bring him the satisfaction that it promised.

Narrated in second person with a wry and slightly condescending tone, this novel as self-help book is both unique and smart. The choice to leave both our narrator and the place unnamed lends a sense of universality to this book, but Hamid grounds it with details about our heroes’ family, the measures he employs to build up his business and the poignancy of the love story between our hero and the pretty little girl.

The writing is simple and directive, as one would expect from a self-help book and yet Hamid is able to bring a depth of understanding to this story that helps to bridge the gap between our experience and the experiences of those living in rising Asia with deft and sharpness:

“…Huddled shivering on the packed earth under your mother’s cot one cold, dewy morning. Your anguish is the anguish of a boy whose chocolate has been thrown away, whose remote controls are out of batteries, whose scooter is busted, whose new sneakers have been stolen. This is all the more remarkable since you’ve never in your life seen any of these things.”

This is a book that is informative, fun, and touching all at the same time-a true gem!

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 Stars out of 5)

Recommend this book to: Keith, Ken, Sharon, Marian and Lauren

Book Study Worthy: Yes

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