songmingi's Reviews (199)

I don't even know what to say...Tracey deon is a mastermind...what a book

I really enjoyed how bizarre and dark this book was, it was just so fun. I can't give it 5 stars however just because I felt like the story went a bit meh at times and I find myself unsatisfied with the end. A worthwhile read none the less, a24 movie material. 

I'm unsure honestly what to say. While I enjoyed the writing in the beginning and annotated quite a few quotes there was just so many weird and uncomfortable points in this book. 

Firstly unrelated to content this book was a DRAG to read, despite not being that long it felt like it took ages to complete it. The pacing is incredibly slow and it felt like it was just a guy living his mediocre life, just doing things for quite a bit of this book. 

Secondly it's hard for me to ignore the weird pedophilic side story that occurs to Reiko. It honestly unsettled me so much that afterwards the whole book felt a little tainted for me. 

Thirdly I just did not like the way any of the characters were written, especially the women. Toru is just some guy, with no particular interests or aspirations. Midori is some weird manic pixie dream girl type.

I will say though that my experience was not completely negative. I enjoyed the discussion of death and grief, of relationships in early adulthood and growing pains. I really liked Midori's character in the earlier part of the book when she spoke about being a caretaker to her ill father and the snobbyness in how working class people are treated when asking practically about revolution. I wish there was better characterisation and just less weird sex scenes...it would have made this book way better to me.

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. 

I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this book. It really deserves the title of a classic, even 200+ years later the humour is still funny, the characters still relatable and lovable and plot still engaging.

Pride and prejudice is unlike any other classic literature book I have read before. Elizabeth Bennet is not your typical damsel in distress but isn't also a "not like other girls" mary sue type character either. I really enjoyed her growth throughout and the development of her relationship with Mr Darcy was honestly so wholesome and sweet. 

I'm glad I gave into my random urge to read this book, everyone should give reading it a chance.