How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia

Last updated
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia.jpg
First edition (UK)
AuthorMohsin Hamid
Published2013
Publisher Hamish Hamilton (UK)
Riverhead Books (US)
ISBN 978-1-59448-729-3

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asiais Mohsin Hamid's third novel, published in 2013 by Hamish Hamilton in the United Kingdom and Riverhead Books in the United States. [1]

The novel uses a second-person perspective, referring to the protagonist only as "you." [2] The story takes place in an unnamed country that resembles Hamid's home country of Pakistan. [3] It details the protagonist's beginnings as a poor boy, and quest for wealth and love as he moves to the city and enters the bottled water business. [4]

Reception

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia was generally well-received, including a starred review from Kirkus Reviews , who called it "[a]nother great success ... and another illustration of how richly the colonial margins are feeding the core of literature in English." [5] The Telegraph called the novel Hamid's "most impressive yet." [6] Nick DiMartino, writing for Shelf Awareness , applauded how Hamid "combines extremely lean prose and a wry sense of irony to create a dramatic monologue with a wickedly satirical vision of modern times." [7]

Publishers Weekly noted that "though readers may find it frustrating that [story arcs for the protagonist and love interest] never overlap for long, the intermittent intersections provide them an anchor to the lives they left in desperation." They continued, stating, "The book takes its formal cues from the self-help genre, but the adopting of that form’s unceasing optimism also nullifies any sense of depth or struggle. Fortunately, Hamid offers a subtle and rich look at the social realities of developing countries, including corruption, poverty, and how economic development affects daily life from top to bottom." [8] In their review of the audiobook, Publishers Weekly noted that while the novel's use of the second-person perspective can yield a "curious listening experience ... it works exceedingly well here because ... listeners wait with great anticipation to learn what will happen to 'you.'" [9]

Awards and honours for How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia
YearAward/HonourResultRef.
2013 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature Shortlist [10]
Tiziano Terzani International Literary PrizeWinner [11] [12]
2014 International Literature Award Shortlist [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohsin Hamid</span> British Pakistani writer

Mohsin Hamid is a British Pakistani novelist, writer and brand consultant. His novels are Moth Smoke (2000), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013), Exit West (2017), and The Last White Man (2022).

The Macavity Awards, established in 1987, are a literary award for mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the "mystery cat" of T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. The award is given in four categories—best novel, best first novel, best nonfiction, and best short story. The Sue Feder Historical Mystery has been given in conjunction with the Macavity Awards.

<i>The Lazarus Project</i> (novel) 2008 novel by Aleksandar Hemon

The Lazarus Project is a 2008 novel by Bosnian fiction writer and journalist Aleksandar Hemon. It features the true story of the death of Lazarus Averbuch, a teenaged Jewish immigrant to Chicago who was shot and killed by a police officer in 1908. It was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as the winner of the inaugural Jan Michalski Prize for Literature in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlon James (novelist)</span> Jamaican novelist (born 1970)

Marlon James is a Jamaican writer. He is the author of five novels: John Crow's Devil (2005), The Book of Night Women (2009), A Brief History of Seven Killings (2014), which won him the 2015 Man Booker Prize, Black Leopard, Red Wolf (2019), and Moon Witch, Spider King (2022). Now living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the U.S., James teaches literature at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is also a faculty lecturer at St. Francis College's Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing.

<i>Out of My Mind</i> (novel) 2010 novel by Sharon Draper

Out of My Mind is a 2010 novel by Sharon M. Draper, a New York Times bestselling author. The cover illustration of the fifth edition is by Daniel Chang, and the cover photography is by Cyril Bruneau/Jupiter Images. A reading group guide is enclosed. The book is recommended for ages 10-14 and for grades 5–8. The story was written in first person, featuring Melody Brooks, a girl with cerebral palsy.

<i>El Deafo</i> 2014 graphic novel by Cece Bell

El Deafo is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Cece Bell. The book is a loose autobiographical account of Bell's childhood and life with her deafness. The characters in the book are all anthropomorphic bunnies. Cece Bell, in an interview with the Horn Book Magazine, states "What are bunnies known for? Big ears; excellent hearing," rendering her choice of characters and their deafness ironic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Brown (illustrator)</span> American writer and illustrator

Peter Brown is an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's picture books. He won a Caldecott Honor in 2013 for his illustration of Creepy Carrots!.

<i>Exit West</i> 2017 novel by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid

Exit West is a 2017 novel by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid. It is Hamid's fourth novel. The main themes of the novel are emigration and refugee problems. The novel, which can be considered fantasy or speculative fiction, is about a young couple, Saeed and Nadia, who live in an unnamed city undergoing civil war and finally have to flee, using a system of magical doors that lead to different locations around the globe.

Brandy Colbert is an award-winning American author of young adult fiction and nonfiction, best known for her books Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, The Only Black Girls in Town, and Little & Lion.

<i>Paola Santiago and the River of Tears</i> 2020 middle grade fantasy novel by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears is a 2020 middle grade fantasy novel by Tehlor Kay Mejia. It is the first novel in the Paola Santiago series, followed by Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares (2021) and Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows (2022).

<i>Blackout</i> (young adult novel) Young adult novel

Blackout is a young adult novel written by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon. The book contains six interlinked stories about Black teen love during a power outage in New York City. The book was released on June 22, 2021.

<i>The Way Back</i> (novel) 2020 young adult novel by Gavriel Savit

The Way Back is a young adult historical fantasy novel by Gavriel Savit, published November 17, 2020 by Knopf Books for Young Readers.

<i>Anna and the Swallow Man</i> 2016 young adult novel by Gavriel Savit

Anna and the Swallow Man is a young adult historical fiction novel by Gavriel Savit, published January 26, 2016 by Knopf. The book is a New York Times best seller and received the Sydney Taylor Book Award for Teen Readers and the Odyssey Award.

<i>We Are Okay</i> 2017 young adult novel by Nina LaCour

We Are Okay is a young adult novel by Nina LaCour, published February 14, 2017 by Dutton Books for Young Readers.

<i>On Such a Full Sea</i> 2014 novel by Chang-Rae Lee

On Such a Full Sea is a speculative fiction novel by Chang-rae Lee, published on January 7, 2014, by Riverhead Books. It is Lee's fifth novel, and the story uses the first person plural to tell the journey of the young fish tank diver, Fan, as she pursues her missing boyfriend. The novel takes place in a post-apocalyptic dystopian world ruined by environmental disaster where the population is divided between those who live in Charter villages, highly regulated and self-contained labor settlements, and the open counties, land that is full of crime and unsupervised by the government. The entire population also is afflicted with "C," a disease affecting the rest of the population that eventually kills everyone who has it. The work deals with themes of capitalism, environmental concerns, healthcare, race, and postcolonialism. It received positive reception at the time of its release, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 2014 as well as shortlisted for the 2015 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.

<i>Unsettled Ground</i> 2021 novel by Claire Fuller

Unsettled Ground is a novel by Claire Fuller, published May 18, 2021 by Tin House Books.

<i>Fiebre Tropical</i> 2020 novel by Juliàn Delgado Lopera

Fiebre Tropical is a bilingual young adult novel by Juliàn Delgado Lopera, published March 3, 2020 by Feminist Press.

<i>Ask the Passengers</i> 2012 young adult novel by A. S. King

Ask the Passengers is a young adult novel by A. S. King, published October 23, 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. In 2012, the book won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature.

<i>Again Again</i> 2020 novel by E. Lockhart

Again Again is a young adult novel by E. Lockhart, published June 2, 2020 by Delacorte Press.

<i>The Maid</i> (novel) 2022 novel by Nita Prose

The Maid: A Novel is a 2022 murder mystery debut novel by Canadian author Nita Prose.

References

  1. "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia". Penguin.com. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  2. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia: A satire too caught up in its own conceits – The Globe and Mail
  3. Book Review: How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia – The Times of India
  4. KAKUTANI, MICHIKO (21 February 2013). "'How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia' by Mohsin Hamid". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  5. "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia". Kirkus Reviews. 2013-04-02. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  6. Gordon, Edmund (2013-03-22). "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid: review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  7. DiMartino, Nick (2013-03-08). "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  8. "Fiction Book Review: How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid. Riverhead, $26.95 (240p) ISBN 978-1-59448-729-3". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  9. "Fiction Book Review: How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid. Riverhead, $26.95 (240p) ISBN 978-1-59448-729-3". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  10. Ashlin Mathew (22 November 2013). "Three Indians in race for DSC prize for South Asian Literature 2014". India Today . Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  11. "Mohsin Hamid - Literature". British Council. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  12. ""Tiziano Terzani Prize" Press Release". Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  13. Mankani, Mahjabeen (20 June 2014). "Mohsin Hamid's novel shortlisted for International Literary Award". Dawn. Retrieved 14 November 2018.