Moth Smoke is by far the most accurate and honest account of life in Pakistan that has ever been put into print. There are none of the usual exotic 'hooks' used by authors from the sub-continent to pull in the Western audience. The characters are very well-developed, with each of the main characters getting a chance to present the side of the story, and one actually misses them once the book is over. The world Hamid creates is tangible and accessible to people from Lahore, who will no doubt recognize it, and to people who have never heard of Lahore. In other words you do not have to be Pakistani to understand and greatly enjoy this novel. Moth Smoke raises important questions about wealth, poverty, crime and gender and allows the reader to evaluate them by including him/her in the final judgement. Read no more of this...read Moth Smoke.