The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Chagnez is alone and lonely in America. He is from Pakistan and that is why it is pretty hard for him to find friends and socialize. As a rule, the representatives of his homeland are not treated well. So, he has to prove that he is just like everyone else, that he has exactly the same rights and he also can make his American Dream come true by himself, without any help. And he does that, after studying hard, he gets a good job and his employer is satisfied with him. But still there is something missing. America is not his country, he doesn’t feel comfortable there, he even hates it, as the reader may conclude from the fact that the events of the 9/11 attacks make him smile: "Yes, despicable as it may sound, my initial reaction was to be remarkably pleased." Later, he leaves America and becomes a leader of anti-American movements in Lahore and finally he finds himself in the right time and place, doing what he likes and what he has to.