When I first started reading Kartography I was a little confused because some of the character names used were so similar I was trying to work out who was who.

I soon discovered however that it was well worth persevering as once I got into it, it was difficult to put it down.

They say the language of love is international and on reading this I discovered that so is the language of misunderstanding.

Starting when they were children through the normal problems of adolescence (made all the worse by the simmering cauldron that is Karachi) into young adulthood, I followed the story of Karim and Raheen with frustration at their failed attempts to patch up their relationship and anticipation of what would happen if they finally succeeded in doing so.

The main thread of the story was how events that took place before they were born affected Karim and Raheen even though they were unaware of exactly what happened for a long time.

The decisions their parents made years before could easily have ruined their entire lives through no fault of their own.

At times the descriptions of Karachi were so graphic I could feel the heat and the tension emanating from the pages of the book.

The final chapters were gripping and thought provoking, and proved that I was right to persevere through the first few confusing chapters.

Anne-Marie Cox

Kartography is available from Leeds bookshops now.

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