Book Review: “A Case of Exploding Mangoes”

The Pakistani best-selling novel, 'A Case of Exploding Mangoes,’ reimagines the socio-political events that transpired during Zia’s regime through the eyes of Ali Shigri, an Air Force pilot and silent drill commander of a squad in the Pakistan Air Force. This novel stands as one of the finest works ever written in an attempt to revisit and reframe historical narratives surrounding Zia’s regime and the state of nation in the 1980s. Hanif employs a number of literary techniques, most prominently, the technique of political satire and dark comedy in order to re-imagine the significant Zia’s era in the country’s history that ended in a mysterious plane crash and Zia’s demise. 

However, beyond the national mystery of Zia’s death in a plane crash, there are a number of subplots, each consisting of several significant characters in the novel. Collectively, all of these characters could be suspected as a reason for Zia’s death and all of them are supported with a number of theories and conspiracies during Zia’s regime. It could be the narrator, Ali Shigri, whose father Col. Shigri committed suicide and Shigri believed that his death was somehow caused by General Zia. The other one was a blind woman, Zainab, who was given a death sentence in a case where she herself was actually a victim. The third one was a Marxist-Maoist, a general secretary of All Pakistan Sweepers Union, who was imprisoned for the past 9 years. The fourth one was Zia’s former close advisor and army personal. 

Similar to the mystery of who killed Zia, it was yet another mystery to find the cause of his death and the death of everyone else on the board with him in Pak-One plane. Was it a crow that became a reason for his death or was it the snake poison created by the laundry man in Pakistan Air Force academy, was it a part of Ali Shigri’s plan aimed to take the revenge of his father’s death, or was it just some mechanical failure in the aero plane, or the canister of the nerve gas hidden in the mango crates loaded just before the plane took off. 

In addition to the enduring enigma of Zia’s assassination in a plane crash; a national mystery that remains unsolved even after three decades, the novel addresses several other significant issues. The prominent issues are; including the love and betrayal between a father and son, the absurdity in militarism, a suicide attempt and its aftermath, Afghan war, religious dogma, cadets lifestyle, feminism and the situation of law and order in Zia’s regime. You might be wondering at this point. So let me assure you, yes Hanif is a genius who covers it all in just one book and that is why it is the bestseller and nominated for prizes as well.