A Case of Exploding Mangoes

by Mohammed Hanif
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A superb debut novel centred around the assassination of the Pakistani dictator General Zia.

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Synopsis

There is an ancient saying that when lovers fall out, a plane goes down. This is the story of one such plane. Why did a Hercules C130, the world’s sturdiest plane, carrying Pakistan’s military dictator General Zia ul Haq, go down on 17 August, 1988? Was it because of:1.Mechanical failure2.Human error3.The CIA’s impatience4.A blind woman’s curse5.Generals not happy with their pension plans6.The mango seasonOr could it be your narrator, Ali Shigri?Teasing, provocative, and very, very funny, Mohammed Hanif’s debut novel takes one of the subcontinent’s enduring mysteries and out if it spins a tale as rich and colourful as a beggar’s dream.

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May 18

Hanif Wins Commonwealth Prize

by Random House Australia on 18 May 2009

Hanif Wins Commonwealth Prize 0 comments

Mohammed Hanif of Pakistan wins Best First Book for A CASE OF EXPLODING MANGOES. 'Standing out in a strong field, this riveting debut novel makes Mohammed Hanif Pakistan's first winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. A tour de force, this fast-paced political intrigue merges fact and fiction to provide a startling interrogation of dictatorship, religious fundamentalism and abuse...

Editorial Reviews

"A Pakistan not reducible to generals, jets and jihadisa...a debut novel shaped as much by the subcontinents fascination with history and historical figures as by political thrillers in the tradition of Forsyth and Le Carre.... Along the way there is plenty of humour and slapstick... Cadet life is entertainingly evoked, overflowing with japes, jerkoffs, hashish highs and liquored lows... The most unexpected aspect of Mangoes is also its most compelling - the wryly told story of a love affair between two cadets" - Guardian

"Entertaining.... darkly comic.... There are sharply observed sketches of toadying ministers, mindlessly efficient security chiefs, filthy prison cells, sex-mad Arab sheikhs and erudite communist prisoners...as a piece of political satire, A Case of Exploding Mangoes deserves a high mark" - Independent

"Brassy, savvy, comic debut" - New Statesman

"Grimly, intelligently comic as if written by an Asian Joseph Heller" - Daily Telegraph

"Zesty, highly inventive...Hanif is a gifted writer...His explosive finale is brilliantly constructed" - Daily Mail

"Exuberant and satirical: this is an angry comedy about Zia's brutal legacy to Pakistan" - Observer

"If this rich stew of disparate ingredients puts you in mind of Salman Rushdie, you wouldn't be far from the truth. His work, along with that of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Joseph Heller, is a low-key but persistent influence" - Sunday Times

"An exciting, accomplished new literary voice" - Irish Times

"a very funny satire-cum-thriller" - Sally Cousins, Sunday Telegraph Seven

"robust satire" - James Stewart, The Guardian

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