Kartography is the story of Raheen, and her best friend Karim, who grow up together, and are then separated during their teenage years. Raheen's father was once engaged to Karim's mother, and her mother was once engaged to his father, yet the families strangely maintained close ties. The reasons behind the broken engagements, as well as the sequence in which they happened remains unknown to both Raheen and Karim, and complicates their relationship when hidden truths emerge. Their close friends Zia and Sonia play major roles in the story, as do all sets of parents. Kartography, which means the study of maps, is not merely the title of this outstanding novel-the entire book has symbolic meaning and can be interpreted as such. Karim has a fascination with map-making, yet finds himself saying,"You want to hear the heartbeat of a place? Do you know how hard your heart beats when you're lost?" It is set in Karachi, the city I grew up in, and the only city I still belong to, even though I left it years ago. The pain of leaving one's home is described as "This must be what dying feels like." The descriptions of the city are so vivid, that the hair-raising nostalgia plucked me out and placed me on every street of what I still call home. The story depicts the elite class, (a tiny fraction of the population) which the writer has herself acknowledged, (and may be misleading for readers if they are trying to understand Pakistani culture) but that distance is well-described"..wrapping yourself in a little cocoon and decide things that happen away from the street where you live don't touch you. And then pretend your street is the world." Sadly, violence cannot be escaped in a story set in Karachi, and I loved the sentence used to define the violence and the ignorance attached to it,"Stray bullet. Funny expression. As though all the bullet needed was a good home and a bone to chew on."I fell in love with Kartography not only because of Karachi, which was in many ways the protagonist, (I totally agree with the idea that "we Karachiites may be anything in our professional lives...but our true vocation is friendship") but rather because of the beauty with which it is written. It is a brilliantly executed, complicated love story, with not merely a triangle, but a square--rather two squares, spanning two generations, and yet it is much more-a story of friendship, loyalty, racism (both on a conscious and subconscious level), the violence that has rocked Karachi, and the resilience of it's people.I have read other works by Shamsie, all worth reading, no doubt, and I agree that it is a writer's obligation to venture into new territory, but I believe that when she writes about Pakistan, is when she is truly in her element and at her very best.This is a must -read for anyone who wishes to read an excellent piece of contemporary literature, but it is a musn't-miss-at-any-cost for anyone even remotely connected to the city of Karachi.
I was going to give this a 4, but then had to settle for a 3.5 (3 on Goodreads) due to the very fact that the author, in the name of whatever-you-call-it, introduces something at the very end of the book.I was drawn to this book by its title (which finds an explanation in the book in a nice way) and the Goodreads' blurb. Fiction set in Pakistan is always something that I look forward to reading (particularly after Moth Smoke) and it helps that the author is a native of Pakistan and knows the geography well. Set in a timeline which makes 1971 the center of the premise figuratively and chronologically, Kartography is a tale of people affected by the partition of East and West Pakistan. The characters central to the book, Karim and Raheen, are easily the most lovable characters that I have come across in the recent part. With their own sense of incompleteness and indecisiveness, the characters find a great place in this story which traverses along geography and timelines while continuing to get back to the happenings of 1971. The keyword that I'd like to associate with this book is the consistency. The story could have been a short story of less than 50 pages in length. However, Kamila decides to weave in a lot more detail and does not expose the 'Why?' of a major happening in the book until the last few chapters. While this book easily runs the risk of being dismissed as a slow book, it is the element of 'suspense' that drives you to move forward in this book.This was my first Kamila Shamsie book and I am glad I picked it up after having it in my TBR for over 6 months. Looking forward to reading more of her books soon.
What do You think about Kartography (2004)?
A good novel with a very touching beginning of two children but with unreal attitudes..specially when it comes to their ages. The relationship between Raheen and Karim remains beautiful until they discover about their parents past... Their relationship made me question about why this happens in South Asia?... The culturally challenged lovers and their relationship is always threatened with the past of their parents.... To leave or not to leave kinda questions ring your mind. Along with a beautiful story.. Shamsie has successfully described the atmosphere of Karachi... The load shedding and law n order situation.... are beautifully unravelled by Shamsie .. The novel teaches about a lot of things ... About longings and separation and the culture differences....I loved the character of Karim, so composed and obsessed with his "kartography"... There is so much to relate to him... On the other hand.. Raheen seemed a bit quiet in the middle as compared to her childhood ..made me think about the after effects of leaving the best and most wanted person of your life .. The end was kinda expected because even after so many years the two didn't forget that they belong to each other.... Perfect example of setting your heart free and let it go where it wants to go! But still, i feel that the novel was a bit less sentimental as it should be..
—Hira
This book was somewhat of a disappointment, but that's partially since I started it with high expectations based on a review I read years ago, the writing is generally good, but feels forced in some chapters to appeal to the western reader (which seems to be common with novels that sells to an orientalist mindset), it was also annoying to read about Pakistan and the political turmoil through the perspective of the elite and the rich, I felt a lot of it was watered down (which might have been the authors objective), and THEN you get to the ending that was so unnecessary, not because the reader only wants happy endings, but because I think the author had an opportunity to save this novel and chose not to!
—Nur
Ever eat something that was so good, you had to take breaks, slow down, remember to stop to breathe because it was just so rich or delicious that you just couldn't take it too quickly? And by "too quickly" I mean "at a normal-to-you pace"? That's what Kartography was for me. I found myself finishing a chapter and putting it down to walk around the house, clean something, have a glass of wine, play with the cat, redo my hair, check my email, call my mom. I could not've read this in a single sitting if I tried, it would've been too rich for me. Shamsie has such a way with words. They are beguiling and devastating. I cannot say enough good things or good-enough things about her writing. After not fully enjoying the last two books I read after reading her, I have learned my lesson: from now on after Shamsie books, I need to either reread something or read something braincandyish (possibly both). She raises the bar so very high.
—Mairi
