39: In the City by the Sea by Kamila Shamsie

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39: In the City by the Sea by Kamila Shamsie

Now I have read all of Shamsie's novels, and I feel rather glad that I read them in a zig-zag order rather than chronologically; this one starts off in a slightly confusing way, zipping between time periods without quite signposting them enough, and parading a number of characters around without quite explaining who they are. Once it settles down, it's a joy to read, but I'm not sure I would have had the patience to stick with it if I hadn't read her later novels first. This is a debut, and as debut novels go it's a cracker, but it is a little rough around the edges in some ways, so if you're aiming to try Shamsie out, I wouldn't start here.

The story, as ever, is set in Karachi, the titular City; the main character is Hasan, an 11-year-old boy whose beloved uncle Salman is the leader of an opposition party that has caught the attention of the tyrannical unnamed President (probably based on the real-life General Zia ul-Haq, albeit loosely). Salman is under house arrest, and Hasan struggles with this, and struggles with his own powerlessness. He wants to do something, though as a young boy there's precious little he can do -- indeed, there's precious little anyone can do, and Hasan is not the only one who longs for a clear course of action.

This is, in some ways, a typical Kamila Shamsie novel, although as I said it's not quite as polished as her later works. Here, though, are the seeds that would later blossom more fully in (especially) Broken Verses and Burnt Shadows -- the warm family relationships, the awareness of privilege and of its fragility, the witty and sparkling language, the atmospheric evocation of Karachi. I found this one to be a little harder to finish than others, despite its being shorter, because although it was delightful to read while I was reading it, I would put it down and not feel obliged to pick it up again immediately. I think this is because most of the capital-P Plot mostly takes place off-page; Hasan, being only a child, sees very little of the really important events that happen, and takes part in almost none of them. Hasan is a delightful character in himself -- clever and imaginative, and still young enough to have faith in the miraculous -- and it was lovely to spend time in his head. But with the narrator being essentially a passive observer, at a distance, of unfathomable events, the narrative ends up being a bit rambly and unfocused. Still beautifully written and warm and atmospheric and wise; but rambly and unfocused all the same.

(tags: a: shamsie kamila, pakistan)