The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, published by Harcourt, is the third pick for the Barnes & Noble Recommends program. Displayed on its own table at each B&N store, the title will also be featured on a special page of bn.com, which will serve as the forum for an online reading group. B&N stores will also hold discussion groups about the book, as well as author appearances by Hamid.
B&N calls the novel, which goes on sale today, "a psychological thriller that spans continents and cultures" and also "vividly dramatizes the turmoil and terror of today's world." Mary Ellen Keating, spokesperson for B&N, said, "We plan to announce a new selection only when we find the right book." For B&N, that means the book must be what they call "unputdownable," meaning, "it has to read quickly, the pages nearly turning themselves, and be a thought-provoking book that stays with a reader." The Recommends books are chosen by a group of B&N booksellers, who are currently searching for the next pick, which B&N plans to announced "in a month or two."
The previous two picks for the program were Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale and Chris Bohjalian's The Double Bind.
