Karachi Raj

by Anis Shivani

And how is one to extract Karachi from oneself? The city gathers wanderers and dreamers into its bosom, contradictory, impenetrable, endlessly jostling its subjects to make room for new ones. And in this city of subterranean terrors and surprising bouts of goodness, a brother and a sister grow into their own. Seema and Hafiz, born into a Basti, long to make something of themselves. But when Seema wins a scholarship to attend university, she finds that social barriers are not easily defied, and when Hafiz finds himself smitten by a coworker's wife, he learns of the mutability of love and friendship. Meanwhile, Claire, an American anthropologist, discovers that while her professional training will only take her so far in her quest to unravel Karachi, living in the Basti is an education in itself. Anis Shivani's debut novel is an ambitious work that aches with intimacy even as it encompasses an entire generation into its bold, panoramic vision. Karachi Raj is the sort of book that will shape our understanding of urban Pakistan for years to come.

Genres: Fiction, Pakistan

412 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Anis Shivani is a fiction writer, poet, and critic in Houston, Texas.

His debut novel, Karachi Raj, will be published in 2013. His other books are My Tranquil War and Other Poems (NYQ Books, 2012), The Fifth Lash and Other Stories (C&R Press, Nov. 2012), Against the Workshop: Provocations, Polemics, Controversies (2011), and Anatolia and Other Stories (2009), longlisted for the Frank O'Connor award.

He is currently at work on a new book of criticism, and a new novel called Abruzzi, 1936.

Anis is the winner of a 2012 Pushcart Prize, and a member of the National Book Critics Circle, with reviews appearing in the San Francisco Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman, Boston Globe, Kansas City Star, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, San Antonio Express-News, Charlotte Observer, St. Petersburg Times, Texas Observer, Brooklyn Rail, and others.

His fiction, poetry, and criticism appear regularly in leading literary journals such as the Boston Review, Georgia Review, Southwest Review, Harvard Review, North American Review, Prairie Schooner, Agni, Epoch, Fence, Denver Quarterly, Subtropics, Threepenny Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Iowa Review, Antioch Review, Colorado Review, Pleiades, Boulevard, Northwest Review, Quarterly West, Denver Quarterly, Verse, Poetry Northwest, Washington Square, London Magazine, Stand, Times Literary Supplement, Meanjin, Fiddlehead, Antigonish Review, Cambridge Quarterly, Contemporary Review (Oxford), and many others...

Reviews

[Faaiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had a tumultuous relationship with this book. On the one hand, it was often the most frustrating read but it was so captivating that it seemed the pages just kept turning on their own whim. The author writes beautifully, with a witty, sharp, and crisp flow. I have to admit, by the time I had reached the middle of the book, I had all but given up on liking it. Just liking it, for I could not for reasons unknown put this book down. Ah, the cognitive dissonance of it all!

I'm understating the "not liking it" part, I had all but began to hate it. Hate the main characters especially. The emerging theme in this book was the two-faced-ness and the insincerity of supporting characters. The main issue that I had with this book was that often times (and by that I mean almost always) the main characters seemed to be at the mercy of the whims of others, displaying no sense of autonomy and confidence in themselves. They are kicked around much like the stray dogs the Basti inhabits and then proceed to lick their wounds and repeat the same cycle again. All four of the characters were insufferable in this sense and as a result left with not much of a strong impression on the reader. The most frustrating in this sense and the hardest to get a read of was Claire. Who is she? I get that she should be detached being a scholar, an outsider, but it's like she's a ghost of a person without a voice of her own. Among the characters, it was Seema who had the most development and it was a bit disheartening that she was only told from Ashiq's perspective in the last chapter. I liked the realization that Ashiq comes to in the end which as a sucker for resolution I enjoyed. For that very reason, Hafiz's ending didn't appeal much to me. His naivety, gullibility, and malleability left the reader wondering where he would end up, no doubt in a repeat of all the previous situations he'd been in.

In spite of my personal frustrations due to my temperament and taste, there is no denying that this is an extremely well-written book which brings the city of Karachi along with all of its animated inhabitants to life. It's a book that will haunt your dreams and make it unlikely that you forget about it.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic without heroes or pretense. I am left with the exhaustion of jet lag and all the unscratched itches of a first pass at a Dostoevsky novel. My heart cheers and breaks for all the characters in this novel, big and small. What a gift, to glimpse Karachi from the comfort of my chair.

[Kumam · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the Basti at the centre, this novel paints a multi-faceted Karachi through various perspectives; the people of the Basti, the rich of defence and clifton, a lahori and an American. The stories of each character are connected or related to the Basti that the writer invests so much to the point of saying "there's no future of if there's no future for the Basti" At the end a catastrophic flood in the city kills many in the Basti. The rescue team doesn't reach there yet. A little bit of continuous rain engulfs the Basti and yes that shows the failure of the most cosmopolitan city of Pakistan. But how many are willing to accept that the fate of the Basti shows the systematic failure of this port city?

A good storyline, decent characterisation though there could be more enigmatic characters and a more developed plot would tighten the read. The ending is unexpected, painful and powerful. A good book overall

[Ismail Naqvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although being his debut novel, Anis manages to capture the audience attention throughout the read. Anis has managed to thread various aspects of rich (Majid, Ferhana, Rehana) as well as poor (Hafiz, Seema) into a story which enthralls the reader till the end. Claire, who is an anthropologist, visiting from US, brings an outside view to the life and people of Basti.
The author seems to have a keen insight into various social circles of Karachi which have been highlighted in a most comprehensive way with attention to minute details.
I was expecting various stories to converge to a point, but characters remained independent till the end which was a disappointment. Author also does introduce few characters who felt surplus (Tipu, Jeremy).
Overall it was an interesting ready and kept me glued till the end.

[Sukanya Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read with few prominent bland patches.

I found myself more invested in one of the characters and thus wanted see how her journey through the book turns out. Often we expect drama...this one did not do justice to that quest of mine.

[Soujanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average read.

[Risha · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

[Rolf Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel following four main characters in modern day Karachi, a brother and sister, a professor, and a visiting American anthropologist. It ranges from realistic to a fever dream.