Moth Smoke

The acclaimed debut novel from the author of Exit West and The Reluctant Fundamentalist - now reissued in a fresh new paperback look across the Hamid backlist

In Lahore, Daru Shezad is a junior banker with a hashish habit. When his old friend Ozi moves back to Pakistan, Daru wants to be happy for him. Ozi has everything- a beautiful wife and child, an expensive foreign education - and a corrupt father who bankrolls his lavish lifestyle.

As jealousy sets in, Daru’s life slowly unravels. He loses his job. Starts lacing his joints with heroin. Becomes involved with a criminally-minded rickshaw driver. And falls in love with Ozi’s lonely wife.

But how low can Daru sink? Is he guilty of the crime he finds himself on trial for?