Critics’ Views about ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’

Critics’ Views about the Novel:

‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’ has gained a huge critical appreciation from the critics all over the world. Here are some critical comments by different critics.

Amrit Dhilon considers it a masterpiece. He says:

“A satirical masterpiece, A Case of Exploding Mangoes beautifully weaves together fact and fiction with cheeky characters and an engaging plot that revolves around the assassination of General Zia ul-Haq on 17August 1988. A humours uptake on one of Pakistan’s greatest unsolved assassinations, no conspiracy theory is left untouched by Mohammed Hanif as he takes his reader on a journey to discover who killed General Zia and why.”

Further he says:

“A memorable read, ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’ successfully keeps the reader hooked till the very last word.”

Katherine Critchlow appreciates the way M. Hanif tackles such a sensitive issue. She comments:

“Mohammed Hanif confidently tackles "'the biggest cover-up in aviation history since the last biggest cover-up; bringing absurdist humor and surprising warmth to ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’." - Katharine Critchlow, Entertainment Weeekly.

Priyamvada Gopal comments on M. Hanif’s effort of pointing out to a serious issue in a very light manner. He says are:

"Despite a shaky start, with overkill on the familiar imaginative topography of Pakistan -- deserts, generals, spies, explosions and cover-ups. Hanif's narrative deftly explores the various possibilities suggested by Zia's death in a mysterious 1988 plane crash. Along the way, there's plenty of humour and slapstick.  It is as a serious novel of Pakistan's difficult

recent history that ‘Mangoes’ doesn't take wing, despite its ambitions. Like the Islamabad it depicts as "a whirl of conspiracies and dinner parties", it opts for the thrilling veneer over complex layers." - Priyamvada Gopal, The Guardian.

Sara Wajid considers it a ‘bold cultural intervention in British Publishing’.

She says:

"But it is the unashamedly populist timbre, the defiantly silly, knockabout humour and the sheer brio of ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’ that mark it out as a new departure in Pakistani writing and a bold cultural intervention in British publishing. It is probably the first English novel about Pakistan with ambitions to cross over from literary to popular fiction. Hanif combines a journalist's gift for concise, punchy storytelling (he is head of the BBC World Service Urdu section and trained as a pilot in the Pakistani army during Zia's rule) with an affable, laconic, breezy, believable protagonist". Sara Wajid, New Statesman.

Robert Macfarlane appreciates the use of satire in the novel and says it is a historical novel:

"The jokes start early in ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’ and they keep on coming. There are times when the novel feels just a touch too fond of its own one-liners. Satire is, after all, a comic mode that asks to be taken seriously.  Hanif has written a historical novel with an eerie timeliness." - Robert Macfarlane, The New York Times Book Review.

Francesca Mari comments on the plot of the novel. She says:

"A playwright at heart, Hanif ensures that, in the end, all plots are tied into a neat knot. ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’ is clever, choreographed. And the reader is amused, skipping right along, until, suddenly, the emotional arc finishes and … nothing. It doesn't affect. The reader looks up and realizes that he doesn't feel because he's not sure he believes in the situations, or, more problematically, in the characters themselves." Francesca Mari, San Francisco Chronicle.

Andrew Holgate, on the other hand criticize the plot, satire and characterization of the novel:

Sadly, his book feels only half-formed, an early draft that should have been taken away for serious surgery. The plot simply isn’t defined enough, the characterisation isn’t rich enough, the structure isn’t robust enough, and, above all, the satire really isn’t sharp enough to carry the reader or the book. Even the magical realism introduced at various points in the narrative feels half-hearted, while the attempts at political analysis can sometimes be embarrassingly naive. Hanif may show undoubted promise as a writer, but he really should have allowed himself more time to develop this novel properly."  Andrew Holgate, Sunday Times.

Julia Slavin compares M. Hanif and ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’ with some other writers and writings respectively, she also comments on the difference:

"When Hanif plays the book for comedy, he scores.  ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’ belongs in a tradition that includes Catch-22, but it also calls to mind the biting comedy of Philip Roth, the magical realism of Salman Rushdie and the feverish nightmares of Kafka. But trying to compare his work to his predecessors is like trying to compare apples to, well, mangoes, because Hanif has his own story to tell, one that defies expectations at every turn." -Julia Slavin, The Washington Post.