The Third-Born

by Mohsin Hamid

Free online fiction.

Short story about a young Pakistani boy—his family’s third-born—who moves with his family from a small rural village to the big city in search of opportunity…

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, The World, Pakistan, Contemporary

10 pages, ebook

First published September 24, 2012

About the author

Mohsin Hamid is the author of four novels, Moth Smoke , The Reluctant Fundamentalist , How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia , and Exit West , and a book of essays, Discontent and Its Civilizations .

His writing has been featured on bestseller lists, adapted for the cinema, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, selected as winner or finalist of twenty awards, and translated into thirty-five languages.

Born in Lahore, he has spent about half his life there and much of the rest in London, New York, and California.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first heard of Mohsin Hamid when I saw his BBC interview on Talking Books. There are very few people who I get so interested in just from listening to them talk. I can assure you it almost never happens. So listening to the way he framed his ideas, his thought process... It fascinated me.

Naturally, I logged onto Goodreads and looked up his books. And that's how I came across The Third-Born.

Third-born is written in a second-person narrative. Our protagonist is the third-born of a city cook with a family back in his rural home town. Through some turn of events, the family moves to the city with their father.

Mohsin Hamid doesn't rely on much dialogue for his prose. Instead, we are given more of observations, visuals and general facts about things related to the protagonist (I feel like writing "us", but that doesn't feel right...).

I'll be honest. There was nothing special about this story. It was... okay. I liked it while reading but it wasn't very remember-able. However, I don't think the story was trying to stand out. It didn't have an ending of sorts. It wasn't trying to give a lesson in morality. It didn't do anything. It just stated what was there and moved on.

Maybe that's what stopped it from making an impression on me. Or maybe it was too short to engage me. Or maybe it was the narrative style. Or maybe because I'm already familiar with the culture. Or maybe I didn't like it much just because. Who knows.

What I do know, however, is that it did have certain gems of sentences that did make reading it worthwhile. I'll leave you with one such:

When he looks around him in the countryside, he does not see prickly leaves and hairy little berries...He sees the labor by which a farmer exchanges his allocation of time in this world for an allocation of time in this world.

[Faaiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of story the likes of which I've been exposed to numerous times. While there was nothing new to report, the author does manage to capture a sense of what it's like to live in a working-class family which has embarked on the seemingly inevitable journey of urbanization that plagues so much of the rural folks. This story is told centralizing on the third-born child who's a silent witness in all that happens around in his family and who doesn't have to deal with the brunt of the circumstances of his birth. Overall, a well written short story.

[Gerry Durisin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprised to find this on Goodreads, as it's a short story, not a novel, but I would not have found and read it if it weren't listed. Hamid is a wonderful writer, and paints vivid images with his words. The Third-Born is the story of a young Pakistani boy who moves with his family from the countryside to the city, and who is able to observe quietly the struggles around him from his relatively "safe" status as third-born child on whom few responsibilities are imposed.

[W · Rating 1 out of 5]

Short story,adapted from the book, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia.Reminded me how much I disliked the book,the irritating second person narrative and coarse writing style.Not much happens either,as it is part of a longer story.(Available on mohsinhamid.com).

[Tyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoy the Voice of Witness series and Mohsin Hamid's Exit West then you will likely find this a "pleasant" enough read. This short narrative, told in the second-person is not awe inspiring. It isn't amazing or even depressing despite it's revelations. It is simply a small glimpse into the life of a family, specifically the perspective of a young boy (the third-born) and his brief transition in life.
Again, not brilliant but if you enjoy the aforementioned works this is a quick piece (literally a few pages) that will satisfy your interest during a lunch break.

[Melita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite easy to read though predictable.

[Sara]

Its not fun reality when y bara that like Hamid did.its bloody reality can found in every country belong to third world.it can be felme it its easy to real.full with many picture .esc pain one.

[Eman Asif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent representation of the part of the society whose lives are underlooked by many and not given attention