Harif was born in Pakistan, and now heads up the BBC’s Urdu language service, which broadcasts to Pakistan. He also served as a pilot in the Pakistani airforce. This, his first novel, is a witty and detailed tale loosely based the circumstances leading up to the last flight of Pakistan’s military dictator, General Zia ul-Haq, which crashed shortly after take off in 1988. “Exploding Mangoes” is a delightful farce and will appeal to anyone with a sense of Asia and contemporary Muslim writers. I thoroughly enjoyed its biting satire of incompetencies and inflated ego. 7/10
http://www.amazon.com/Case-Exploding-Mangoes-Mohammed-Hanif/dp/0307268071