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A Case of Exploding Mangoes
A Case of Exploding Mangoes
A Case of Exploding Mangoes
Audiobook10 hours

A Case of Exploding Mangoes

Written by Mohammed Hanif

Narrated by Paul Bhattacharjee

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

About this audiobook

There is a saying that when lovers fall out, a plane goes down. A Case of Exploding Mangoes is the story of one such plane. Why did a Hercules C130, the world's sturdiest aircraft, carrying Pakistan's military dictator General Zia ul Haq, go down on 17 August, 1988? Was it because of: mechanical failure; human error; the CIA's impatience; a blind woman's curse; generals not happy with their pension plans; the mango season? Or could it be your narrator, Ali Shigri? Teasing, provocative, and very funny, Mohammed Hanif's debut novel takes one of the subcontinent's enduring mysteries and out of it spins a tale as rich and colourful as a beggar's dream...
LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 1, 2008
ISBN9781407430881
A Case of Exploding Mangoes
Author

Mohammed Hanif

Mohammed Hanif was born in Okara, Pakistan. He graduated from the Pakistan Air Force Academy as Pilot Officer but subsequently left to pursue a career in journalism. His first novel, A Case of Exploding Mangoes, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Novel. His second novel, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti, was shortlisted for the 2012 Wellcome Prize. He has written the libretto for a new opera Bhutto. He writes regularly for the New York Times, BBC Urdu, and BBC Punjabi. He currently splits his time between Berlin and Karachi.

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Reviews for A Case of Exploding Mangoes

Rating: 3.71471474024024 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

333 ratings24 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of the best books I read all year -- though not an easy page turner by any means: something for the fans of hard/challenging books, slow delectation. On par with "Arctic Summer" and "Lampedusa". Both shocking and funny (in a hangman's humor way). Delves into the minds of the human kogs in the wheels of a rotten organization; and mediocrities in power. Audiobook is read brilliantly.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Brilliant book!!!!! Witty, suspenseful and informative. Will now be looking for more books by this author
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a Solid Narrative...Gripping and Lucid..Loved every minute of it

    Marvellous Five Star General of a Novel
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Wickedly funny and a real treat. A military satire as dark as I've ever read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Hanif tells a fictional tale of what caused the 1988 plane crash that killed General Zia, the military dictator of Pakistan who overthrew Bhutto. Hanif weaves two assassination plots together - one a revenge killing by an air force office, Ali Shigri, who holds Zia accountable for the alleged suicide of his father, a high ranking Officer; the other the Iago-like machinations of one of the generals plotting to succeed Zia. While this was supposedly a black comedy, can't say I found much to laugh about, particularly when it came to the treatment of female rape victims, summary executions of a union leader and torture of two of the main characters in the story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This tells an account of how circumstances might conspire. General Zia, general and leader of Pakistan, died in a plane crash in August 1988. This tells a number of interweaving strands, each of which, independently, could account for the crash. It is largely narrated by young Ali Shigri, a trainee officer in the Pakistan airforce. His father was a colonel on the army and was found hanging in what was called suicide (but sounds like nothing of the sort). It is full of humour, but has a dark side. If the incidents in the books are indicative of things that have or did happen in the country,then it is a very sad indictment of affairs. The case of Blind Zenob is the most startling of these. She is imprisoned for fornication as she is unable to identify the men who she claimed raped her. Well being blind that would probably account for the failure to do so, yet she is in prison. Takes a very twisted sort of male logic to make that seem like a sensible turn of events. Of all the ways that Zia might have died that come together in this book, I thought the crow was the one that appealed to me most.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I kind of really liked this book. At the beginning it was all satire and little (interesting) story, but this got balanced better over the subsequent chapters.

    I liked the pace of the book, and the fact that the main, first person character knows so much that is not revealed to the reader, but only merely hinted at.

    By the end of the book, I was surprised to find myself even feeling hooked to the story getting excited and thrilled by what was going on.

    The insights you get in Pakistan during the reign of general Zia, and of course in the life of the general and his surroundings is really nice. One must beware of the line between fact and fiction which is often crossed in all directions with total disregard of the concept itself. :-)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Wow! What a book! The last few chapters kept me awake till 2 in the morning and my teeth were quite nicely drilled into my jaw by the time I finished.So many plots and sub-plots and so well-handled! Had I been writing something like this it would have ended up becoimng one fine mess. But Mr.Hanif tried the end very neatly. Definitely one of the finest books I have read in this genre. Its was a joy to read such a thrilling and well-written book by a fellow countryman! Can't wait to read Our Lady of Alice Bhatti! :D
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Loved it. Biting satire, funny, dark.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Part thriller, part satire - this is an excellent book about the assassination of a military leader. Along the way I learned about the subtleties and cunning of espionage and the clear-eyed ambition of the military. [A Case of Exploding Mangoes] is intelligent and witty - it has a clear central plot and numerous characters and traceable sub-plots - I raced through this story which happily all came together by the end.I want to read more from this author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Loved it. Biting satire, funny, dark. It just won the Commonwealth Writers Prize.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What exactly caused the aircraft carrying Pakistan's president Zia-ul-Haq, his top brass and the US ambassador to crash in 1988? Nobody knows. Maybe Mohammed Hanif is right, and this book unveils the mystery. Or maybe it's just a story. But it's a great story, a journey through the contradictions of a crumbling military dictatorship through the eyes of an impertinent young soldier, a fun and informative look at central Asia at the end of the Cold War, and an impeccable thriller that will not let itself be put down until the end.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book by Hanif was a little of a struggle for me. The thesis of the book was interesting ut the way we got there was not as catching for me. Some of the characters were interesting nd some pretty indifferent.J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man and the 'Isms'".
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The novel begins about three months before General Zia ul Haq’s death and ends with his final seconds on earth. General Zia, president and supreme commander of Pakistan, had persecutional paranoia. Who was trying to kill Zia? Everyone right from the tapeworms in his gut, his generals, a blind accused woman to under officers in his army. Mohammad Hanif has presented the assassination plans of these multitudes of people in a narrative and humorous way. The funniest instances in the book are Osama Bin Laden’s vanity, torture chambers of ISI, the Pakistani secret service and the lost cluelessness of the Americans. A very good read.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Political satire.I am an avid reader of both 'Global' and Historical fiction so this book should have been right up my street. Instead it took me weeks to read and I omly completed it because I was discussing it in a book group.I did not enjoy it at all. It was certainly not 'very, very funny', as advertised.I was not alone in my views either; 6 out of 8 other readers at the discussion felt the same way.Although I hate to categorise books, we felt that this was a book that would be more appealing to male readers.The central character is Ali Shigri, an officer in the Pakistani army, like his father before him.Ali knows his father did not commit suicide and he is determined to settle the score with President Zia.Several other characters are involved including his gay room mate, certain American CIA officials and folk from high up the Pakistani political ladder. Even Osama bin Ladin makes a brief appearance as the obnoxious OBL. No characters were likeable, all were crooked and I didn't really care who came down in the plane by the end of the book.Well suited to lovers of political satire but not at all my choice of book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a great book. Part political thriller and part satire (though satire that often cuts far too close to home at times). It is a fictionalized account of the death of the Pakistani dictator Zia ul Haq, killed in an air crash along with a bevy of his top generals and the US ambassador, Arnold Raphael in 1988 just as they were beginning to celebrate their victory over the Soviets in the Afghanistan War.The title of the book is a play on words, referring to both the mystery behind what caused the crash (there are a number of different theories that lay the blame at the feet of a number of different suspects), as well as the popular suspicion that the plane was blown up by a bomb planted in a crate of mangoes that was loaded on the plane in Bahawalpur.Knowing anything about the actual history is not necessary to enjoy this novel as I believe Hanif sets the scene very well, but one's appreciation only increases of the way he weaves the various theories surrounding the crash into one narrative. For example, there is a subplot about the blind girl Zainab who is imprisoned for fornication after being gangraped (Zia did introduce a law which automatically made female rape victims criminals if they could not produce eyewitnesses to testify that they were raped). After a human rights demonstrator breaches his security cordon, Zia orders Zainab to essentially be 'disappeared' into the Pakistani version of Guantanamo Bay. There she curses her tormentor, and according to folklore, crows carry the curse of wronged women to their recipients. One of the theories about the plane crash is that it was the result of mechanical failure after a crow was sucked into one of its engines.Mohammed Hanif deftly weaves together a variety of subplots - the main one following an airforce cadet (as he himself once was) who gets caught up in an investigation after his roommate goes AWOL. Other POVs include Zia himself, his wife, his long time ally and chief of the ISI, General Akhtar his bodyguard and the suave torturer, Major Kiyani.All this sounds like dour, heavy going, but Hanif's writing is generally warm, accessible and lightly humorous. Much of the humour is earthy, ribald even, but rings true to the time and setting. Hanif pokes fun at a whole bevy of sacred cows, terrorism, fundamentalism, the Pakistani army, the ISI, the CIA, the Mujahideen (an awkward gentleman named OBL who runs a construction company shows up at a large 4th of July BBQ held at the American ambassador's residence at one point!) All in all, this makes for an entertaining read, but above all, what one finds most compelling is the mystery of how, ultimately, Zia met his end.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A very entertaining read, suspenseful and funny.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fictitious take on what may have occurred in Pakistan during the late 80s following General Zia ul Haq's rule and the events that led to his demise in the plane crash.A humorous, although sometimes blackly so, take on the political instability during the times, and of General Zia's personality. There is much in this book to entertain the reader but at the same time, under the cloak of humor, one is made aware of the injustices that fall on certain segments of society, and topics that continue to plague some in Pakistan today.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Not what I expected at all--and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm not much of a one for political thrillers, assassination stories, novels focused on the military, etc. I don't even remember what provoked me to pick up this one--maybe the Booker list--but I'm glad that I did. What takes it far beyond being a "special interest" novel is the imagatively drawn characters and the wonderful, distinctive narrative voice. At various times, the novel is funny, horrific, poignant, and thrilling. Highly recommended. I'm looking forward to Hanif's next novel.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I liked the insider, hip look at the Pakistani military establisment. But I found some of the fantasy plot devices tiring. In the end, I didnt really feel attached to any of the characters.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    First, a personal confession: The cover of this book seduced me during a recent furtive prowl through the bookstore, and for once I'm NOT sorry I bought this impulsive read. Guiltily, I let it jump the queue of to-be-read titles and dived right in… I didn't have any knowledge of the history behind the novel, but without thinking twice entered the world of Pakistan's political intrigue.It was like sneaking off from school to watch a great movie.While it is a fact that Pakistan's military dictator, General Zia ul-Haq died in an apparent accidental crash moments after takeoff of a Hercules C130 cargo plane in 1988, the cause of the crash has never been 100% explained. Despite the C130's reputation as a robust machine, there is strong indication of possible mechanical failure. There is also a long list of people who wanted Zia out of the picture, including several who died on the same plane. There is no shortage of speculation as to how any single murderous act, or murderers in various combinations may have been able to make a plane crash look accidental.Add to this a rich supply of religious contention, local superstition, and scriptural overtones, and author Mohammed Hanif pulls all the possibilities into a provocative novel. The result is a sardonic, sarcastic, sometimes satirical mocking of the despotism of the military, the cynical involvement of the United States behind-the-scenes manipulation, and the exploitation of the general population. There is plenty of irony and black humor as well, and the novel is a portrait of political instability in a crucial part of the world.Five stars for this marvelously entertaining whodunnit of Pakistani military politics. Not only was this a great read, but it motivates me to read more from Pakistani writers--especially from Mohammed Hanif.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A black comedy of a tangled cold war thriller and speculative fiction surrounding the death of Pakistan's Zia ul-Haq. Haniff provides darkly comic and genuinely scary insight into the tangled relations between the US and Pakistan and Osama bin Laden's mujahedin, into the sheltered and paranoic lives of dictators and earthly messiahs, and the puzzled aspirations of those seeking revenge, understanding, release or all three.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I guess this is a historical novel, dealing as it does with the last days of General Zia ul-Haq, the military dictator of Pakistan who died in a plane crash in August 1988, along with the US ambassador and a number of Pakistani generals. But it has something of the feel of a Terry Pratchett fantasy in Zia's delusions of popularity and bizarre religiosity, the suave worldweariness of his torturing minions, his wife's disdain, the key role played by a non-human character, and above all the way death tends to be treated as farce. But this isn't the Discworld. Mohammed Hanif served in the Pakistani Airforce and at the time of Zia's death was roughly the age of the Junior Under Officer Ali Shigri, the book's narrator-hero and would-be assassin. So the comedy has an edge to it -- as absurdity piles on absurdity, there is the lurking recognition that at least some of it is, appallingly, a matter of historical record.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fictionalized tale of how the crash of Pakistani leader General Zia's plane went down in 1988 taking with him top aids and the US ambassador. I really enjoyed this book, even though I was not aware of the incident it satirizes before reading it. That fact did not hinder the enjoyment of the book. Saying that, it might be interesting to know what the true public persona was at the time, comparing to the books private ideas, but not knowing did not take away from the tale in any way. The characters were well developed and the story flowed well. A good solid read. The book has just been put on the long list for the Man Booker award.