I loved reading this book. It was one of those rare novels that made me want to put sticky notes on every page and copy down quotes for use later. When the author digressed, I either learned something new or read something I already knew but saw it expressed in beautiful, thought-provoking prose. What did I learn about? Maps, flags, East and West Pakistan, finance (although I had to skim a little in this section--too complicated for me), Godel and mathematics, physics, optical illusions, and using the proper name for the tool in your hand. This is not a book to read for an easy narrative structure and predictable or fast-moving plot, although by the time I got about half-way through I was hooked on the mystery and wanted to know what Zafar was going to confess.