A Case of Exploding Mangoes

£12.99

LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2008

A Case of Exploding Mangoes is the first novel from veteran international journalist, Pakistani-born Muhammed Hanif. A lively, irreverent novel, it deals with the death of General Zia, the Pakistani dictator whose plane crashed in 1988 under suspicious circumstances. Not to be outdone by the many conspiracy theories surrounding the event, Hanif weaves his own fictional version of events in a sharp, witty style that makes this a stunning debut.

There is an ancient 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 plane, carrying Pakistan’s military dictator General Zia ul Haq, go down on 17 August, 1988? Was it because of:

1.Mechanical failure
2.Human error
3.The CIA’s impatience
4.A blind woman’s curse
5.Generals not happy with their pension plans
6.The mango season

Or could it be your narrator, Ali Shigri?

Here are the facts:

- A military dictator reads the Quran every morning as if it was his daily horoscope.
- Under-Officer Ali Shigri carries a deadly message on the tip of his sword.
- His friend Obaid answers all life’s questions with a splash of eau de cologne and a quote from Rilke.
- A crow has crossed the Pakistani border illegally.

As young Shigri moves from a mosque hall to his military barracks before ending up in a Mughal dungeon, there are questions that haunt him: What does it mean to betray someone and still love them? How many names does Allah really have? Who killed his father, Colonel Shigri? Who will kill his killers? And where the hell has Obaid disappeared to?

Teasing, provocative, and 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.