Book Review: "Karachi Vice" by Samira Shackle

Apart from authors such as Mohsin Hamid and Kamila Shamsie, I do not think I have gotten to experience much of what Pakistani Literature has to offer. My aim this year is to change that. Lately, I have wanted to pick up on my international literature knowledge especially when it comes to the modern day. The piece of Pakistani Literature I decided to pick up was this one by Samira Shackle - "Karachi Vice". As a piece of creative nonfiction, I have seen this as like a window into the Karachi culture and also a window into the real way of life for the local and native people without the romanticisation of the travel narrative. It is a brilliant book of homecoming, activism and the difference between the east and the west. I believe that not only could this book become a classic, but it could also be hailed as one of the prime works of Pakistani creative writing in the many years to come.

There are many stories within this work, each focusing on a different person who has a different way of life and a different background. The commonality is that this all live, work and breathe Karachi Culture. From the drug dealers on the streets to the respectful and loving men who own little restaurants and cafes, this book teaches you about the parts of Karachi that you usually don't see in travel narratives or on the news. My personal favourite part of the narrative was called "Parveen" and it was about a woman of the same name who was also an activist for women's rights. She once was branded a woman who was 'dangerous' and from then on the men treated her like a pariah. She stood up for sexual harassment victims and yet, she was treated like dirt. She did not give up and she did not give in. I found this narrative, especially in our own time, to be extremely powerful. It shows us the true extent and bravery of the new age of Karachi women.

When it comes to the length of the book, I thought it was rather short for what it was trying to portray. I felt like each of these characters who came from different backgrounds required a chapter that was maybe around 100 or so pages long. I wanted to know everything about their past, present and future. I wanted to know about who thought what about them in their families. I wanted to know how they were taught their culture, their way of life and what happened to them to turn them towards or away from it. It felt like I was cut off from them way too early and way too soon before I could gain the momentum I needed to feel involved with them. This is why I have deduced one mark here.

In conclusion, though I feel like the book is somewhat short and under-done, I do feel like this book is required amongst people in the west who like to read. Obviously, there is still a prejudice that people from the east are under-educated in comparison to people from the west and I believe that this is one of the books that can change that notion. It shows us all the different kinds of characters we can meet along the way of learning about the different cultures and how we should not judge people purely on what our own prejudices are. I believe that when it comes to caucasian people, it can teach them how people from the east are just as good and just as awake as they are to social issues.