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whatcourtneyreads 's review for:
House Number 12 Block Number 3
by Sana Balagamwala
House Number 12 is an “if these walls could talk” story narrated literally by a house watching over the family occupying it between 1957-88. It follows the story of Nadia, a young woman whose family lives in Karachi, Pakistan throughout a time of enormous political unrest. This serves as the backdrop to the unrest Nadia experiences while living there, which she will keep to herself for decades with only the house (which cannot speak) as a witness.
The premise of this book was interesting and the narration style reminded me a little bit of The Book Thief, which was narrated by Death. I also enjoyed learning a bit about Pakistan’s political history, as it’s admittedly something I knew next to nothing about.
Something didn’t quite click for me with this book though. The political backdrop felt disconnected from the narrative of Nadia and her family, and while it provided a setting it didn’t feel related or cohesive. I also felt that the main story arc of Nadia’s traumatic experience and subsequent mental illness were not fleshed out enough, and were very neatly resolved in a way that felt rushed. I wonder if 200 pages was too tight a squeeze for the coinciding storylines as it felt a bit incomplete.
That aside, Balagamwala’s prose is beautiful, with lines such as this one springing up frequently: “The sky bows under the heavy weight of the clouds, ripping at the edges. A few drops of rain fall from the sky and awaken the earth”. I read that one about four times to fully marinate in it before I could move on.
This book is out now (I’m just late with reading / reviewing). Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of this book was interesting and the narration style reminded me a little bit of The Book Thief, which was narrated by Death. I also enjoyed learning a bit about Pakistan’s political history, as it’s admittedly something I knew next to nothing about.
Something didn’t quite click for me with this book though. The political backdrop felt disconnected from the narrative of Nadia and her family, and while it provided a setting it didn’t feel related or cohesive. I also felt that the main story arc of Nadia’s traumatic experience and subsequent mental illness were not fleshed out enough, and were very neatly resolved in a way that felt rushed. I wonder if 200 pages was too tight a squeeze for the coinciding storylines as it felt a bit incomplete.
That aside, Balagamwala’s prose is beautiful, with lines such as this one springing up frequently: “The sky bows under the heavy weight of the clouds, ripping at the edges. A few drops of rain fall from the sky and awaken the earth”. I read that one about four times to fully marinate in it before I could move on.
This book is out now (I’m just late with reading / reviewing). Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.