Red Birds

Mohammed Hanif's previous novels have sold over 65,000 copies TCM. A Case of Exploding Mangoes was longlisted for the Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, and won the Commonwealth Book Prize and the Shakti Bhatt First Book PrizeChosen as a Guardian Book of the Year and described by Hanif Kureishi as 'the funniest tragedy I've read in years', Red Birds is a Catch-22 for our time, perfect for fans of Mohsin Hamid, Kiran Desai and Kamila ShamsieMohammed Hanif was born in Okara, Pakistan. He graduated from the Pakistan Air Force Academy as Pilot Officer but subsequently left to pursue a career in journalism. His first novel, A Case of Exploding Mangoes, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Novel. His second novel, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti, was shortlisted for the 2012 Wellcome Prize. He writes regularly for the New York Times, BBC Urdu, and BBC Punjabi. He currently splits his time between Berlin and Karachi.A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 'A thrilling, razor-sharp critique of US foreign policy . Red Birds is an incisive, unsparing critique of war and of America's role in the destruction of the Middle East. It combines modern and ancient farcical traditions in thrilling way' Guardian American pilot Major Ellie has crashed his plane in the middle of a desert. Lucky for him there's room for him at the very refugee camp he was supposed to bomb. Teenage Momo doesn't see it that way: the camp is a trap, not a refuge. His brother's missing, his parents are in a rage, and an aid worker won't stop trying to interview him for her book on the Teenage Muslim Mind. Savage, irreverent and deliciously dark, Red Birds is a masterful unravelling of intertwined fates in a forgotten war-scape - and a brilliant satire about satire about the absurdity of war and the impossibility of peace.A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 'A thrilling, razor-sharp critique of US foreign policy . Red Birds is an incisive, unsparing critique of war and of America's role in the destruction of the Middle East. It combines modern and ancient farcical traditions in thrilling way' GuardianThe funniest tragedy I've read in yearsFunny, dark, compassionate and angryA novel at once funny, sad and disturbingA marvelA razor-tongued critiqueIrreverent, dripping with exuberant disdainSkewers the entrenched insanity of conflict . Hanif's bleak, formidable use of irony burns deeplyA savagely surreal satire of US foreign policyIrreverent, anarchic, comic, savage and humaneA blistering, savage, tragicomic satire about the cruelty of war and the impossibility of peace . Hanif writes of violence and bitterness with flashes of hilarity that underline his anger and his humanityDefiant . The outrage is all too realHanif has a talent for taking the most serious subjects - convoluted wars or paranoid dictators - and, in a style indebted to Joseph Heller's Catch-22, emphasising their fundamental absurdity through satire ... Hanif's authorial gifts are undeniable and Red Birds is written with ambition and powerful satirical angerLike a highly charged political chamber operaThe set-up is terrific: a US pilot crash lands in the Middle East and seeks shelter in the camp he was meant to bomb. Written with wit and a tilt towards the absurd, what follows is a highly original satire on US foreign policy which highlights the monstrousness of warHis new novel, set in and around a refugee camp, exhibits his trademark black comedy . an absurdist riff on modern conflict with shades of Catch-22Terrific . A highly original satire on US foreign policy which highlights the monstrousness of warVivid and cleverThe wit comes in sharp riffs.considered, otherworldlyThe more you read of Pakistani novelist Mohammed Hanif's exuberant, spirited prose, the more you fall in love with him. . A wry, brutal satire, with many laugh-out-loud moments, and the dialogue fizzes like Alka Seltzer. But there is also much to tug at the soul in yet another contemporary fiction which looks at the current state of the planet and sees rage, madness and sadness all aroundAn impressive multi-voiced performance that straddles bitter tragedy and pungent black comedy, grounded realism and flighty absurdity . Red Birds thrums with rambunctious energy. Hanif's narrators are compelling forces, their wild accounts capable of gripping, moving and entertaining the reader . this is writing with guts, satire with bite