The upstairs wife

This memoir explores Karachi's history through the experiences of its women, focusing on Rafia Zakaria's Muslim-Indian family who immigrated to Pakistan in 1962. The family prospered until the 1980s, when military dictators initiated an Islamization campaign that profoundly impacted women. The narrative centers on Zakaria's Aunt Amina, whose husband's decision to take a second wife exposes the personal costs of increasingly restrictive religious edicts and cultural conventions. The book dissects Pakistani history, from colonial legacies to the rise of terrorist violence and misogyny, revealing the dreams and challenges of Karachi's people.