Name: Kartography
ISBN: 9780156029735

Kamila Shamsie

Raised from birth alongside her best friend Karim, Raheen enjoys a privileged Karachi childhood and mourns their separation when Karim's family moves, learning in the years that follow about their parents' complex friendship in the wake of their nation's turbulent history. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

Kartography

Marz 

Kartography tells the tale of Karachi itself and the people that give the city life. Kartography covers so many important and complex themes, it speaks of a Pakistan I never got to experience but one I still recognise. It puts forward questions about love, identity, classicism and how we define the places we call home. 

I enjoyed the writing style; it wasn't simplistic but wasn't too prose-heavy either. However, I didn't always enjoy the pacing, sometimes the flashbacks were too abrupt and spaced out a lot oddly leaving me a small bit confused at times. This book also delivers drama in a way only a desi person could write. 

In regards to the character writing, I'm conflicted, the characters have their complexities, and they are in a way two dimensional or a mishmash of tropes. However I think they are unequally developed I could never wrap my mind around Karim, other than his obsession with maps and yearning for a connection who was he? While Raheen annoyed me, it was the point, she was someone self-centred and stubborn and had to learn the errors of her ways.

Despite its flaws I think Kartography is a beautiful exploration of the history of Karachi and captures its magic in a way I have never seen before.