‌Moth smoke by Mohsin Hamid

Moth Smoke is a 2000 novel by Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid, who is most famous for his later novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist. The book, set in Lahore, tells the story of a man’s fall from grace within Pakistan’s upper class following the loss of his job. As he spirals downward, he becomes addicted to drugs, has an affair with his best friend’s wife, and is arrested for murder.

The book opens in a prison cell, where a guard hands a letter to the prisoner. We then see a courtroom, where Darashikoh Shezad (Daru for short), is accused of killing a boy. After these introductory chapters, the main narrative begins, told from Darashikoh’s perspective.

Daru is going to visit his old school friend Aurangzeb—known as Ozi—who has just returned from several years in the United States. Daru is resentful of his old friend’s success, noticing his large, highly-secured house. He meets Ozi’s wife, Mumtaz, and their child. They spend an evening catching up and drinking expensive whiskey. As Daru is driving home, he is stopped for drunk driving but bribes the police officer to let him go free. The next day, Daru is fired from his job at the bank for being rude to a customer.

The narrative shifts to an interview with the journalist Zulfikar Manto and Professor Julius Superb. Superb was Daru’s teacher at an expensive private school, which was paid for by Ozi’s father, Khurram Shah. Daru was the brighter of the two, but only Ozi could afford to go to America to study.

Daru purchases marijuana from a rickshaw driver, Murad Badshah, and is asked by Mumtaz to accompany her on an errand. She explains to him that she lives a double life as a journalist under the name Zulfikar Manto and that she wants him to accompany her to a brothel for an interview.