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The Hypebeast
Striving to get ahead in a world of scams, Hamid is caught in the fervour surrounding a charismatic social-media imam with questionable intentions.
Hamid Shaikh is a small-time crook in the big city, hoping that one of his cons will lead to riches. Tax fraud, telemarketing tricks, government scams. Whatever it takes. When he’s not working the phones hustling fake promises, he dreams of a move that will finally announce his arrival.
When his girlfriend, Natalie Mendoza, vanishes, Hamid finds himself pulled into the orbit of former Guantanamo Bay detainee turned social-media imam Abdul Mohammad. On the surface, Abdul’s organization is virtuous: they are helping other detainees rehabilitate to life outside the prison. But as Hamid dives deeper into Abdul’s nebulous and luxurious world, he finds a confusing mix of religious zeal and cynical self-advancement. With his connection to the imam deepening, Hamid must decide just how far into darkness he can go before losing sight of himself.
Hamid Shaikh is a small-time crook in the big city, hoping that one of his cons will lead to riches. Tax fraud, telemarketing tricks, government scams. Whatever it takes. When he’s not working the phones hustling fake promises, he dreams of a move that will finally announce his arrival.
When his girlfriend, Natalie Mendoza, vanishes, Hamid finds himself pulled into the orbit of former Guantanamo Bay detainee turned social-media imam Abdul Mohammad. On the surface, Abdul’s organization is virtuous: they are helping other detainees rehabilitate to life outside the prison. But as Hamid dives deeper into Abdul’s nebulous and luxurious world, he finds a confusing mix of religious zeal and cynical self-advancement. With his connection to the imam deepening, Hamid must decide just how far into darkness he can go before losing sight of himself.
408 pages, Paperback
First published April 22, 2025
18 people are currently reading
4492 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 19, 2025
This book was very much out of my comfort zone - I chose it for that very reason - and by the end of it I really enjoyed it and got some good meaning out of it.
The narration is interesting - poetic and melodic at times, disconnected and pointed at others. I realise this is an advanced reader copy, but the spacing of the paragraphs and chapters were irregular, making for a jagged reading experience, many times I couldn't tell who was speaking and characters' responses to one another felt irrelevant, like they weren't partaking in the same conversation. This improved very much throughout the book, but some lines still stood out here and there, so I wonder what the final print will look like and whether this was completely intentional. If so, I wonder why - the story itself, I feel, made its point.
The Hypebeast started rather abruptly and the first chapter is a blur to me. I struggled to find a thread to follow and started to get worried about what I had gotten myself into, but it's almost as if the style of narration changed and grew with the character, so I am glad I continued reading.
The MC and other characters' introductions throughout about the first 10 chapters were confusing, but I got a handle on them as I went. I liked that bits and pieces of characters and their appearances were dropped throughout interactions - you don't quite get a complete view upfront.
Though I was a bit confused at first, the story really fleshed out during parts 2 and 3, and part 4 brought everything home. The ending is poetic and rather satisfying, though this is one of the few books where I didn't like the MC at all.
And this might be about making-money-quick-schemes; the greed for money and the power that it brings, but I enjoyed the perspective on wrongful incarceration (oh, the irony), generational trauma and religion.
It was a completely new perspective for me; challenging and enlightening.
Thank you very much to the author for this ARC for my honest review!
The narration is interesting - poetic and melodic at times, disconnected and pointed at others. I realise this is an advanced reader copy, but the spacing of the paragraphs and chapters were irregular, making for a jagged reading experience, many times I couldn't tell who was speaking and characters' responses to one another felt irrelevant, like they weren't partaking in the same conversation. This improved very much throughout the book, but some lines still stood out here and there, so I wonder what the final print will look like and whether this was completely intentional. If so, I wonder why - the story itself, I feel, made its point.
The Hypebeast started rather abruptly and the first chapter is a blur to me. I struggled to find a thread to follow and started to get worried about what I had gotten myself into, but it's almost as if the style of narration changed and grew with the character, so I am glad I continued reading.
The MC and other characters' introductions throughout about the first 10 chapters were confusing, but I got a handle on them as I went. I liked that bits and pieces of characters and their appearances were dropped throughout interactions - you don't quite get a complete view upfront.
Though I was a bit confused at first, the story really fleshed out during parts 2 and 3, and part 4 brought everything home. The ending is poetic and rather satisfying, though this is one of the few books where I didn't like the MC at all.
And this might be about making-money-quick-schemes; the greed for money and the power that it brings, but I enjoyed the perspective on wrongful incarceration (oh, the irony), generational trauma and religion.
It was a completely new perspective for me; challenging and enlightening.
Thank you very much to the author for this ARC for my honest review!
March 20, 2025
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley. 4.5 ⭐️
In THE HYPEBEAST, Adnan Khan imagines a world where everyone is engaged in a con: long, short, self-serving, for the sake of “community.” In so doing, he shows us how gaining leverage over one another frames life as a constant and anxiety-ridden game.
Each of the characters in the book are despicable in their own right. From our protagonist (who we stay with for almost the entire story) to the woman he falls in love with, to his best friend, to their business partner, all the way up to the charismatic figure he finds himself tied up with, have their own motivations that feel true and fleshed out. But I wasn’t really rooting for anyone but Bagheera (the big cat on the cover).
I found the ending to be quite satisfying, but this isn’t a book that has an overt message, rather one that has to be sussed out for a bit. Which feels appropriate: was the whole thing a Camus-style (a-la characters being named by their ethnicity, i.e. “The Arab”) cerebral sort of journey, or was it all a con?
In THE HYPEBEAST, Adnan Khan imagines a world where everyone is engaged in a con: long, short, self-serving, for the sake of “community.” In so doing, he shows us how gaining leverage over one another frames life as a constant and anxiety-ridden game.
Each of the characters in the book are despicable in their own right. From our protagonist (who we stay with for almost the entire story) to the woman he falls in love with, to his best friend, to their business partner, all the way up to the charismatic figure he finds himself tied up with, have their own motivations that feel true and fleshed out. But I wasn’t really rooting for anyone but Bagheera (the big cat on the cover).
I found the ending to be quite satisfying, but this isn’t a book that has an overt message, rather one that has to be sussed out for a bit. Which feels appropriate: was the whole thing a Camus-style (a-la characters being named by their ethnicity, i.e. “The Arab”) cerebral sort of journey, or was it all a con?
January 1, 2025
I gotta say this book gave me anxiety in the best way possible. The characters in this book are fast-talking, and just waiting to rip you off. The story follows Hamid. A small-time crook in Canada. He’s always looking to make a quick buck.
He eventually gets caught up with Abdul. A former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, who is now a social media celebrity. Hamid gets sucked into his orbit, and things quickly start spiraling.
I couldn’t put this down. The author writes with intensity. The descriptions used to describe Hamid’s surroundings are top notch. You really feel like you’re along for this ride. I can’t say enough good things any this book. I don’t think it would be my cup of tea, but it was just tense. And there is also some real depth to it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the advanced copy of this! Awesome stuff!
He eventually gets caught up with Abdul. A former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, who is now a social media celebrity. Hamid gets sucked into his orbit, and things quickly start spiraling.
I couldn’t put this down. The author writes with intensity. The descriptions used to describe Hamid’s surroundings are top notch. You really feel like you’re along for this ride. I can’t say enough good things any this book. I don’t think it would be my cup of tea, but it was just tense. And there is also some real depth to it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the advanced copy of this! Awesome stuff!
August 1, 2025
Was really surprised by this book but I really loved it. Enthralling story telling and an example of the amazing Canadian fiction that has been coming out recently.
July 20, 2025
This was a particularly fun one for me to read. Not just because of the plot line or the character development, both of which are excellent, but because it was written by a former student of mine from years past. I very much enjoyed this one, though it is of a dark side to the immigrant experience and life in Toronto.
January 27, 2025
This book was captivating the whole way through and I found it difficult to put down. Every character in this book is unlikeable, but it makes you want to know more about them. This book follows Hamid, a salesman turned scammer who gets caught up in a crazy situation with a social media imam.
I've never read anything like this book, it felt like a dark thriller/action movie. You just know shit is going to hit the fan over and over again. Even though the people in the book are awful, you empathize with them and want to know more about why they are the way they are. I was drawn to this writing style, you feel very much in Hamid's head space but also disconnected at times. This book is dark and intense! I could see this booking turning into a movie or tv series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the advanced copy!
I've never read anything like this book, it felt like a dark thriller/action movie. You just know shit is going to hit the fan over and over again. Even though the people in the book are awful, you empathize with them and want to know more about why they are the way they are. I was drawn to this writing style, you feel very much in Hamid's head space but also disconnected at times. This book is dark and intense! I could see this booking turning into a movie or tv series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the advanced copy!
October 14, 2025
I can't stop thinking about this book. I wish I could read it again for the first time. If you are a Canadian immigrant, live in Toronto, or have experience with SWANA communities this book will resonate with you. I hope Khah keeps writing this type of realistic fiction because there are very few contemporary Canadian authors with this unique ability to tell a great story while shining a light on such serious topics.
August 28, 2025
The Hypebeast is a propulsive piece of Canadian literature that I wish more readers were talking about. I was pleasantly surprised by this addictive and jarring story that follows Hamid Shaikh, a young man who is looking for the next big bet, the next easy scheme that is going to grab him the largest sum of cash no matter the consequences.
Hamid and his friend, Marwan, get tied up with a rich fellow and his inner circle to carry out schemes from stealing an animal to laundering money and everything in between. When Hamid’s girlfriend Natalie goes missing, he finds himself drawn deeper into the violent and corrupted underbelly of the city he calls home.
Set in Toronto, The Hypebeast is gritty and dark, it features elements of noir fiction and a vast number of trigger warnings.
Adnan Khan writes a compelling novel about false prophets, the hubris of ambition, how everyone is out to get everyone and how the organizations we often view as pure become the very malignant entities we seek to eradicate.
I highly recommend it if you enjoy stories like The Age of Vice or The White Tiger.
Thank you Dundurn Press for providing me with a gifted copy of The Hypebeast in exchange for an honest review! This title is available now.
Hamid and his friend, Marwan, get tied up with a rich fellow and his inner circle to carry out schemes from stealing an animal to laundering money and everything in between. When Hamid’s girlfriend Natalie goes missing, he finds himself drawn deeper into the violent and corrupted underbelly of the city he calls home.
Set in Toronto, The Hypebeast is gritty and dark, it features elements of noir fiction and a vast number of trigger warnings.
Adnan Khan writes a compelling novel about false prophets, the hubris of ambition, how everyone is out to get everyone and how the organizations we often view as pure become the very malignant entities we seek to eradicate.
I highly recommend it if you enjoy stories like The Age of Vice or The White Tiger.
Thank you Dundurn Press for providing me with a gifted copy of The Hypebeast in exchange for an honest review! This title is available now.
October 21, 2025
I enjoyed this book. A very different book for me - I couldn't relate to the characters, the constant striving for money and conspicuous signs of wealth, or the lives they led, but Khan did a very good job of explaining Hamid's motivation without beating you over the head with it. Hamid is a complex character - although fairly likeable and sympathetic, he doesn't seem to have any sympathy for any of the victims of his actions. He's not a nice guy, but he's not a villain either. Khan walks a tightrope with this character, but manages to not fall off.
I was trying to think if I'd ever read anything like this, and then realized that it reminded me a little of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. Both characters want to succeed, and don't really care who they have to sacrifice to do so. Duddy Kravitz wasn't an immigrant, but did feel like an outsider as a Jew in Montreal. Hamid's obsession with Natalie does cause him to take his eye off the ball a bit, but although the books are very different, there's a similarity to the two characters in their striving for material success.
A good book. A fascinating setting. A different Toronto than the one I grew up in - not just the obvious cultural differences, but also the obsession with expensive clothing and accessories, nightclubbing, the fast-paced lifestyle - just a very different world. There is nothing recognizable to me of the city where I'm spent my entire life, and that's kind of interesting.
I was trying to think if I'd ever read anything like this, and then realized that it reminded me a little of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. Both characters want to succeed, and don't really care who they have to sacrifice to do so. Duddy Kravitz wasn't an immigrant, but did feel like an outsider as a Jew in Montreal. Hamid's obsession with Natalie does cause him to take his eye off the ball a bit, but although the books are very different, there's a similarity to the two characters in their striving for material success.
A good book. A fascinating setting. A different Toronto than the one I grew up in - not just the obvious cultural differences, but also the obsession with expensive clothing and accessories, nightclubbing, the fast-paced lifestyle - just a very different world. There is nothing recognizable to me of the city where I'm spent my entire life, and that's kind of interesting.
October 15, 2025
This book took me on an unexpected ride as I don’t usually read intense literary novels with jaded characters. I usually don’t read literary books all that much overall, yet Hamid’s depiction of the world and the people around him captivated the skeptic in me.
Hamid Sheikh believes everything and everyone is capable of a con, whether as the one pulling the strings or the target, and lives by that idea up until he meets Abdul, a former detainee of Guantanamo Bay. The magnetism of Abdul’s presence, as well as some very questionable interactions with his flock, forces Hamid to reflect on his life of petty crime and how he understands people he thought he already understood.
Again, this book didn’t feel like one of my usual reads, but the story proceeded smoothly and the chaos of Hamid’s experiences were well developed. A crazy read, but one that can be easily understood by the reader.
Hamid Sheikh believes everything and everyone is capable of a con, whether as the one pulling the strings or the target, and lives by that idea up until he meets Abdul, a former detainee of Guantanamo Bay. The magnetism of Abdul’s presence, as well as some very questionable interactions with his flock, forces Hamid to reflect on his life of petty crime and how he understands people he thought he already understood.
Again, this book didn’t feel like one of my usual reads, but the story proceeded smoothly and the chaos of Hamid’s experiences were well developed. A crazy read, but one that can be easily understood by the reader.
July 6, 2025
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.
🕳️ A Hustler’s Descent Through the Algorithmic Abyss
In The Hypebeast, Adnan Khan delivers a razor-sharp, genre-blurring novel that reads like a fever dream of late capitalism, spiritual hunger, and the seductive power of spectacle. It’s a gritty, propulsive story about a small-time con artist who stumbles into a world where faith, fraud, and fame are indistinguishable—and it’s one of the most unsettlingly relevant novels of the year.
🧠 Premise: Scam Culture Meets Spiritual Crisis
Hamid Shaikh is a hustler. Tax fraud, telemarketing scams, government grifts—he’s done it all. But when his girlfriend Natalie disappears and he’s drawn into the orbit of Abdul Mohammad—a former Guantanamo detainee turned social-media imam—Hamid finds himself in a new kind of hustle. Abdul’s organization claims to help ex-detainees reintegrate into society, but beneath the surface lies a murky blend of religious fervor, influencer culture, and capitalist ambition.
As Hamid is pulled deeper into Abdul’s curated world of luxury and redemption, he must confront the question: is he being saved, or sold?
🧬 Themes: Identity, Exploitation, and the Mirage of Meaning
Khan’s novel is a scathing exploration of how identity—especially Muslim identity—is commodified in the digital age. Abdul is both savior and salesman, a man who weaponizes trauma and faith for clicks and capital. Hamid, meanwhile, is a cipher: a man so desperate to belong that he’ll believe in anything that promises transcendence.
The novel also interrogates masculinity, displacement, and the performance of authenticity. It’s a story about the hunger for meaning in a world that rewards spectacle over substance—and how easily that hunger can be manipulated.
🧨 Style: Fragmented, Ferocious, and Fearlessly Contemporary
Khan’s prose is jagged and electric, mirroring Hamid’s fractured psyche. The narrative slips between timelines—childhood trauma, present-day schemes, and surreal interludes that blur the line between memory and hallucination. It’s a risky structure, but Khan pulls it off with confidence, creating a rhythm that feels both chaotic and intentional.
There are echoes of Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West and the noir grit of Attica Locke, but Khan’s voice is wholly his own: urgent, unflinching, and deeply attuned to the contradictions of modern life.
👤 Characters: Flawed, Fluid, and Fatally Human
- Hamid Shaikh is a fascinating antihero—equal parts cynic and seeker. His moral compass is broken, but his emotional core is raw and real.
- Abdul Mohammad is a masterfully drawn enigma. Charismatic, dangerous, and disturbingly plausible, he embodies the novel’s central tension: is he a prophet or a predator?
- Natalie Mendoza, though absent for much of the novel, haunts the story like a ghost—her disappearance a catalyst for Hamid’s unraveling.
🧭 Final Thoughts: A Mirror and a Warning
The Hypebeast is not a comfortable read—but it’s a necessary one. It holds a mirror to a world where belief is branded, trauma is monetized, and the line between redemption and exploitation is razor-thin. Khan doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, he offers a story that pulses with urgency, complexity, and a deep, aching humanity.
For readers who crave fiction that challenges, provokes, and refuses to look away, The Hypebeast is a must-read.
🕳️ A Hustler’s Descent Through the Algorithmic Abyss
In The Hypebeast, Adnan Khan delivers a razor-sharp, genre-blurring novel that reads like a fever dream of late capitalism, spiritual hunger, and the seductive power of spectacle. It’s a gritty, propulsive story about a small-time con artist who stumbles into a world where faith, fraud, and fame are indistinguishable—and it’s one of the most unsettlingly relevant novels of the year.
🧠 Premise: Scam Culture Meets Spiritual Crisis
Hamid Shaikh is a hustler. Tax fraud, telemarketing scams, government grifts—he’s done it all. But when his girlfriend Natalie disappears and he’s drawn into the orbit of Abdul Mohammad—a former Guantanamo detainee turned social-media imam—Hamid finds himself in a new kind of hustle. Abdul’s organization claims to help ex-detainees reintegrate into society, but beneath the surface lies a murky blend of religious fervor, influencer culture, and capitalist ambition.
As Hamid is pulled deeper into Abdul’s curated world of luxury and redemption, he must confront the question: is he being saved, or sold?
🧬 Themes: Identity, Exploitation, and the Mirage of Meaning
Khan’s novel is a scathing exploration of how identity—especially Muslim identity—is commodified in the digital age. Abdul is both savior and salesman, a man who weaponizes trauma and faith for clicks and capital. Hamid, meanwhile, is a cipher: a man so desperate to belong that he’ll believe in anything that promises transcendence.
The novel also interrogates masculinity, displacement, and the performance of authenticity. It’s a story about the hunger for meaning in a world that rewards spectacle over substance—and how easily that hunger can be manipulated.
🧨 Style: Fragmented, Ferocious, and Fearlessly Contemporary
Khan’s prose is jagged and electric, mirroring Hamid’s fractured psyche. The narrative slips between timelines—childhood trauma, present-day schemes, and surreal interludes that blur the line between memory and hallucination. It’s a risky structure, but Khan pulls it off with confidence, creating a rhythm that feels both chaotic and intentional.
There are echoes of Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West and the noir grit of Attica Locke, but Khan’s voice is wholly his own: urgent, unflinching, and deeply attuned to the contradictions of modern life.
👤 Characters: Flawed, Fluid, and Fatally Human
- Hamid Shaikh is a fascinating antihero—equal parts cynic and seeker. His moral compass is broken, but his emotional core is raw and real.
- Abdul Mohammad is a masterfully drawn enigma. Charismatic, dangerous, and disturbingly plausible, he embodies the novel’s central tension: is he a prophet or a predator?
- Natalie Mendoza, though absent for much of the novel, haunts the story like a ghost—her disappearance a catalyst for Hamid’s unraveling.
🧭 Final Thoughts: A Mirror and a Warning
The Hypebeast is not a comfortable read—but it’s a necessary one. It holds a mirror to a world where belief is branded, trauma is monetized, and the line between redemption and exploitation is razor-thin. Khan doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, he offers a story that pulses with urgency, complexity, and a deep, aching humanity.
For readers who crave fiction that challenges, provokes, and refuses to look away, The Hypebeast is a must-read.
December 8, 2025
This review I am finding challenging as many of the reviewers have noted. It is a good 400 pages and I thought it could be whittled down some as there is often too much detail. The beginning which I suppose sets the stage, is so decadent with debauchery and drinking - oh so much drinking and throwing up! I had to keep going to online reviews (which for the most part were quite good) to try and figure out what the crux of the story was. The protagonist is Hamid Sheikh, an Indian Muslim who lives in Toronto and is a small time crook, fraudster, scammer who is focused on $$$$ and buying the finer things in life whether he can afford it or not. His girlfriend Natalie, who is Filipino is an uber drinker and he is so obsessed with her that he even goes to Alanon and stops drinking in his quest to help her. Then she disappears and hooks up with Abdul, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee turned social media Imam who appears to be doing good for the community with the $10M given by the Canadian Gov't for wrongful detainment for 10 years as a young boy (like Omar Khadr?) yet his intentions are questionable. To me the story started to be good when Hamid is with Abdul and Abdul is telling him his story of confinement in Cuba. It wavered in and out from there. In the end, it worked and even though I could hardly wait to finish it at times, now I'd like to go back and reread the beginning to see if it does make more sense to me. (I did this and only got so before realizing I didn't want to continue) It's really a world I'm not aware of or really interested in as an older person. The Hypebeast refers to a jungle cat named Bagheera stolen from the Bowmanville Zoo and of course this doesn't go well. On a positive note, it is interesting to hear the tale through the eyes of an immigrant. All of the scamming, call centres, etc we know happen and that is frustrating. I was able to see the author Adnan Khan at our local library and I felt that he was very well spoken and interesting. It's unfortunate that the book did not come up to borrow until after I saw him. I think I would have gotten more out of the book and the talk if I'd been able to read it first.
March 25, 2025
The myth of wealth at all costs leaves no way out, especially if you are the son of Indian immigrants in Canada, who to survive had to do the most menial jobs, those that they would never have done in their own country, relegated to a servitude that is very similar to slavery. Hamid Shaikh learns this the hard way, first becoming the stooge of another Indian man's stooge, this time a really rich one, and then getting lost following a strange character, a former Guantanamo prisoner turned social media imam, who he somehow holds responsible for his girlfriend leaving him. Breaking free from these shackles is difficult, and perhaps requires a skill in crime that he doesn't have. A really interesting novel, which tells of the difficulties of young immigrants suspended between a tradition they no longer understand, and which has marked them with its mannerisms and prejudices, and a new life they still don't understand, complicated by the devastating effects of the attack on the Twin Towers.
Read
March 8, 2025Clearly I am not the reader for this one. I have been plugging away at this one for a month and a half - reading it when I go to bed at night - and I’m still only about 75 pages in.
Yes I’ve been silly busy but that doesn’t explain it. I feel no connection to this title at all… I have tried to pick it up when I’ve had time to read during the day and it just doesn’t hold my interest. And while the characters in books don’t have to be likeable, it doesn’t help when absolutely none are.
As I grab the blurb to make my notes, I scan some of the supporting comments: Hilarious. Thrilling and charming. Emotionally vulnerable and “tragically handsome” (what does that last bit even mean?). Impossible to put down.
I’m wondering whether I even (attempted to) read the same book?
Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me early access to a digital review copy.
DNF
Yes I’ve been silly busy but that doesn’t explain it. I feel no connection to this title at all… I have tried to pick it up when I’ve had time to read during the day and it just doesn’t hold my interest. And while the characters in books don’t have to be likeable, it doesn’t help when absolutely none are.
As I grab the blurb to make my notes, I scan some of the supporting comments: Hilarious. Thrilling and charming. Emotionally vulnerable and “tragically handsome” (what does that last bit even mean?). Impossible to put down.
I’m wondering whether I even (attempted to) read the same book?
Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me early access to a digital review copy.
DNF
April 24, 2025
How many times has this exact story has been done? There's at least 4 Korean movies on Netflix that have the exact same story. How many times are we gonna hear about some clown delving deep in how far they will go for the next big break. The only thing that sets this apart from the others is the characters names lol. Hell I didn't even have to read the book I just saw the synopsis and already knew I saw this in Korean on Netflix already. Adnan Khan? More like Adnan Can't.
November 27, 2025
A literary thriller that's beautifully written and thoughtfully conceived.
Khan's book details the life of small time hustler and immigrant Hamid, who is trying to get a foothold and access to wealth in Canada and who tries to do it through crime. The book has a lot to condemn about the west, our crimes abroad and the way we fail to support and properly integrate the immigrants who come here. It's also a hell of a ride!
Khan's book details the life of small time hustler and immigrant Hamid, who is trying to get a foothold and access to wealth in Canada and who tries to do it through crime. The book has a lot to condemn about the west, our crimes abroad and the way we fail to support and properly integrate the immigrants who come here. It's also a hell of a ride!
December 10, 2025
( AUTHOR INTERVIEW! )
I was really just taken by how the Toronto landscape was presented that made me feel stuck in a snowglobe of hustler culture and accute wrongness.
I think everyone who has lived in the GTA will feel seen in this story, just a little.
I was really just taken by how the Toronto landscape was presented that made me feel stuck in a snowglobe of hustler culture and accute wrongness.
I think everyone who has lived in the GTA will feel seen in this story, just a little.
May 29, 2025
“his insides were rotten with idealism.”
3.2/5
3.2/5
November 28, 2025
I enjoyed it, very dark but the plot was creative and the writing style made the book go quickly. Overall a great book!
January 27, 2026
see its ok to not be a literary god if you have a good story to tell
September 13, 2025
This author of this book is a powerful writer. Every page grabs you, sometimes by the neck. It's a novel of the old sort, like Jim Thompson or Patricia Highsmith. If it were a movie, it'd be the vibe of The Grifters with the texture of The Killing or The American Friend. It's about experiencing how people get themselves into a nick, or are got in one, and can only go deeper. In the end, the crime is a human tragedy, a stab at hope, and makes you a little sick.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews