Matter of Detail

by Maniza Naqvi

Set in present day Karachi and New York, A Matter of Detail celebrates tolerance and love as potent antidotes for fear and silence. It is also a satire about the state of the state of the stateless. The story revolves around the family of Haji Rueewallah, a businessman in Karachi, his two wives, and their five children. It is the story of how the love shared by a family gives them the humor and strength to accept each other’s differences and hypocrisies and to thrive despite the circumstances which are within and outside their control. A Matter of Detail is a warm, sweet, nostalgic and often humorous drama that traverses a wide swath of geography including the emotional, political.

A Matter of Detail is the recipient of the prestigious Patras Bokhari Award 2008 for the best book in English by a Pakistani writer.

488 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Maniza Naqvi is a novelist and short story writer. Born in Lahore, she lives mostly in the USA. Her four novels are Mass Transit, On Air, Stay With Me, and A Matter of Detail. She has also published a book of short stories: Sarajevo Saturdays. She writes fiction and essays as a Monday Columnist for 3Quarksdaily.com

Reviews

[MadZiddi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book on a hunch and was pleasantly surprised by a few good bits. It was nice to read a novel firmly grounded in Karachi, both the posh and awami areas of it. Her descriptions of some of the old neighbourhoods along with old architecture is very recognisable. The old Khoja family is knitted with a Jewish family is specially interestin. Jews here, with their intricate customs rooted in local culture, seems like a relic of a bygone era. Similarly the celebration of Muharram, with the alams, tazias and imam baras seem to have been candidly observed. So are the anti- Iraq war protests in New York, both of which seem to reflect the author's own trajectories.