Karachi, You’re Killing Me | Saba Imtiaz | Book Review

Karachi, You're Killing MePLOT: 3/5
CHARACTERS: 4/5
WRITING STYLE: 4/5
CLIMAX: 3/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4.5/5

Every story is unique and so is every author’s writing style.

In between the two most important components of a book – plot and entertainment quotient, the author makes a trade-off. And it is the success of this trade-off, which makes a book a good one.

“Karachi, You’re Killing Me”, though not so well endowed in the plot and climax area, really scores amazingly well in the humour quotient and that is exactly what makes this book, the absolutely-must-have-chick-lit for any girl.

Author Saba Imtiaz, a Karachi-based journalist who has to her credit work featured in the likes of Guardian and Christian Science Monitor, hilariously writes about the protagonist Ayesha and her adventures and misadventures in the city of Karachi.

Ayesha is a journalist with a fervour for adventurous assignments. But in between her quest for those absolutely lethal type stories, which can make her career skyrocket to unseen heights, she has to juggle her time between covering cupcake bakery openings and the good for nothing fashion show events, all at the mercy and bidding of her ridiculously illogical and irrational boss.

Ayesha, who finds little time for anything else apart from her insipid work life, find some solace in the company of her best friend Zara. While Zara easily manoeuvres her way through the hot shots of Karachi’s social circles, Ayesha finds it surprisingly difficult to find even a single dateable guy.

Her only consolation after her incessant heartbreaks is the shoulder of Saad, a handsome and richie-rich guy from Ayesha’s school going days, who is her other best friend and great moral support at all times. But then Saad also has his life and so does Zara.

So what does Ayesha do, when she doesn’t have either of them around? How does she survive in the cruel brutal world of Karachi journalism?

To know this and much more about the adventures of Ayesha, do get hold of this wonderful book.

To get a glimpse of her humour filled writings, here is a passage from the book –

“How did I not realise he was following me (on Twitter that is)? He must have gotten lost among a list of followers whose bios are inevitably a variation of ‘looking for fraindship’ and ‘NO MoRe SiSteRz OnLy FreinDz No MoRe ThaN friend..!!!!!!’

Another one about a third-class hotel room in which the protagonist had to stay while covering a covert story, reads –

“I look around for TV, there isn’t one. I open the cupboard. It looks like it was last used to store Miss Havisham’s dress”.

Thus, all in all, I would say that I really enjoyed “Karachi, You’re Killing Me” and would recommend it to all my readers especially those who are ardent fans of chick-lit.

I would also end by saying that I hope to read more such witty work from the author in the near future.

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