One day, a hotel worker turns up dead in the kitchen’s basement, disturbing the delicate balance of Gabriel's life.

[7] The Washington Post's Marie Arana commented that while the first half of the book "creeps along like your grandmother's knitting", once the reader reaches the midpoint: "And here, finally, begins your reward.

"[8] The New York Times' William Grimes praised the novel's commentary on the issues of race, culture and progress, noting that the "brilliant debates animate an otherwise meandering, overstuffed narrative that, for long stretches, goes nowhere in particular.

"[9] The Guardian's Stephanie Merritt also commented positively on the novel's theme of national identity, but concluded that "Though Ali's prose is often beautiful and there are flashes of Brick Lane's buoyant comedy, Gabe's disintegration never quite engages the reader, who is left feeling better informed but oddly unaffected.

"[10] The Telegraph's Sukhdev Sandhu criticised the dialogue, saying: "dollops of didactic and clunky exposition are combined with lines half-inched from episodes of The Bill and passages of insipid mushiness".