The debut novel by Sana Balagamwala
Nadia has changed. She has been waking up in the middle of the night in fits of anxiety, avoiding her friends and family, and skipping her university classes. With the recent death of her father, Haji Rahmat, Nadia's condition has further spiraled. There is no acceptable diagnosis for her illness, and speculations abound: she may have a rare disease, she may have been possessed by a jinn, or perhaps she is inclined to madness. Whatever the cause of this mysterious illness, Zainab, Nadia's mother, is at pains to keep it hidden from the community at large; she is worried Nadia will be labeled as mad, and she knows all too well the taboos that mental illness brings with it.
While the country tethers on policial unrest, and Nadia seems to get worse by the day, the family searches desperately for the cause, and the cure, for their daughter’s mysterious illness. House Number 12, the home that has sheltered the Rahmat family for decades, narrates and recollects past events, trying to absolve itself of the burden it feels of being privy to the real reason for Nadia's "illness" but not being able to do anything about it.
Where to buy
House Number 12 Block Number 3
by Sana Balagamwala
Published by Hidden Shelf Publishing House
Praise for the novel
“An utterly original work of art and soul,
House Number 12, Block Number 3 is witty,
gorgeous, and completely captivating.
Once you walk through the door of
Sana Balagamwala’s enchanting debut
novel, you never want to leave.”
— Karen Karbo, New York Times best-selling author of Yeah, No. Not Happening.
“House Number 12, Block Number 3 is an
original, heart-wrenching story of life, love,
and tragedy in Karachi during times of
turmoil and change. Brilliantly told through
the eyes of the house that has sheltered the
Rahmat family for decades, Sana
Balagamwala’s language is rich in texture,
lyrical and nuanced in scope, as she
explores gender roles, social status, and
political upheaval against the backdrop of
a young girl’s pain. House Number 12, Block
Number 3 shines a light on both the
personal and political, and reveals how
a country at war reflects a young girl’s
madness, and neither will rest peacefully
until both have been redeemed.”
— Deborah Reed, Author of Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan, and The Day the Birds Come Back.
“An assured debut on a subject that has been
swept under the rug for far too long.”
— Sanam Maher, Author of The Sensational Life & Death of Qandeel Baloch.