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Cover of Moth Smoke

Moth Smoke

Mohsin Hamid (2000)

SubgenreContemporary Romance
Age groupAdult 18+
Content ratingR
Pages (Quick Read (<250))
SettingNew York City
CSM age18+
Goodreads3.86/5 (12528)
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Content levels

ViolenceMild
Sexual contentSteamy
LanguageModerate

Trigger warnings

InfidelityCheating/InfidelityBetrayalDeception

Positive tags

High AngstForbidden Love

Hero archetypes

BankerBest Friend's Brother

Heroine archetypes

JournalistCareer-Driven Heroine

Tropes

Forbidden LoveBest Friend's SiblingAffairClass DifferenceContemporary

Themes

InfidelityClass DivideIdentityContemporary PakistanMarriage and ConstraintUrban Elite CultureMoral Ambiguity

Synopsis

A portrait of contemporary Pakistan featuring an adulterous romance between two ultra-rich jet setters. He is a banker and she is the wife of his best friend, and she is escaping the constraints of marriage and motherhood by prowling the city as a journalist.

Tags

Literary FictionCharacter StudyCultural Commentary

Moth Smoke: content & age rating

Intended for adult readers (18+).

This literary novel explores an adulterous affair between wealthy Pakistanis with mature themes including infidelity, sexual content, and moral complexity.

What to know going in

This book has mild violence, steamy sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include infidelity, cheating/infidelity, and betrayal (see the full list above).

Who'll love this

Adult readers will be drawn to the sophisticated exploration of forbidden love and social constraints in contemporary Pakistan.