from the internationally bestselling author of the reluctant fundamentalist the boldly imagined tale of a poor boys quest for wealth and love his first two novels established mohsin hamid as a radically inventive storyteller with his finger on the worlds pulse how to get filthy rich in rising asia meets that reputation and exceeds it the astonishing and riveting tale of a mans journey from impoverished rural boy to corporate tycoon it steals its shape from the business selfhelp books devoured by ambitious youths all over rising asia it follows its nameless hero to the sprawling metropolis where he begins to amass an empire built on that most fluid and increasingly scarce of goods water yet his heart remains set on something else on the pretty girl whose star rises along with his their paths crossing and recrossing a lifelong affair sparked and snuffed and sparked again by the forces that careen their fates along how to get filthy rich in rising asia is a striking slice of contemporary life at a time of crushing upheaval romantic without being sentimental political without being didactic and spiritual without being religious it brings an unflinching gaze to the violence and hopes it depicts and it creates two unforgettable characters who find moments of transcendent intimacy in the midst of shattering change