“I sink my elbow into the sofa cushion, heave a long sigh and ransack my bag in a frantic search for my cell phone. My hand scoops up a slim eye pencil and en empty bottle of lip gloss. I plunge them back into the bag – it’s one of those cavernous carpet ones from Khaadi – and continue rummaging, unwilling to accept defeat.” This is how Taha Kehar opens his novel, Typically Tanya, while describing the efforts of Tanya as she desperately finds her cell phone to book a ride to work. Tanya is not an average girl from Karachi. She is bold, confident and does not give too much heed to what she does or says. She is trying her best to juggle successfully between her work and personal life. Taha Kehar, a Karachi-based journalist, author of Rift and Rivalry, chose a female protagonist in Typically Tanya. He manages to display many personal dilemmas and professional predicaments girls of Tanya’s age face. She has to deal with her insecurities, going to public places, meeting with strangers, workplace harassment and the glitches that come with relationships. She is a sub-editor for Daily Image and has to be on her toes when working with her team. While at work, she has to read and edit and often discuss with her colleagues the ever so inflammable national and international political fabric of Pakistan. Taha has artistically mentioned and discussed such political references without making them larger than Tanya’s life. After all, the story is about Tanya. Instead of telling the readers about Tanya’s livelihood, likes, dislikes and preferences, Taha shows us. Through the narratives, readers find out that since Tanya lives on E Street in Karachi, she belongs to an elite family. She lives with her mother, a single parent, who too abides by the rules of the elite. Tanya’s life is a myriad of emotions. She enjoys being with her friends from work – Hassan, Adam and Sonia – while enjoys her own company as well. Topsy or Tabassum is Tanya’s thirty-something lawyer friend. Tanya is close to her mother, whom she calls mummy, but not too close to share everything with her. Instead of telling the readers about Tanya’s livelihood, likes, dislikes and preferences, Taha shows us. Through the narratives, readers find out that since Tanya lives on E Street in Karachi, she belongs to an elite family. She lives with her mother, a single parent, who too abides by the rules of the elite I believe it is always a challenge to write about the apprehensions, anxieties and thoughts of the opposite sex. Taha, in fact, did it brilliantly when he showed Tanya’s life. The story is not just about Tanya, it also about Sonia. She is Tanya’s friend whose marriage is called off a day before her big day. Apparently, Tanya had an intimate relationship with Sonia’s would-be groom and this is where Tanya needs to become serious with her life. The story is more about mending relationships and making new ones. Tanya is also finding the purpose of her life. Taha also added places from across Karachi into the narrative that will appeal to the readers who live in Karachi or know about these places. The chapters of the book are titled according to the story that each chapter discusses. One understands these titles after completing the chapter. Taha’s writing style must be applauded. He does not use jargon and terms that may as well confuse the readers. His words remain simple and his sentence structure is both modern and yet not too trendy that adds unwanted wordiness to the paragraphs. He has a knack of explaining the action with vividness. For instance, he writes, “The muggy air thickens in the living room. The ceiling fan clicks and hums above my head as it draws away the heat. A few seconds later, it stops spinning and silence fills the air. ‘Not again,” I groan. As I say these words, the whirr of our generator rips through the stillness.” In another chapter, he writes, “The tragedy of having friends like mine is that they always disappoint me when I need them the most. I frantically dial Topsy’s number. But much to my consternation, she keeps rejecting the call, as if I am one of those infamous blank-callers who has mastered the art of pestering unsuspecting victims over the phone.” Taha ends the book with this sentence. “I switch on my laptop, put a cigarette between my lips and touch a lighter against its tips. Between drags, my fingers drum against the keyboard and raise a gentle clatter that soothes me. I type keenly and, as I write the final sentence, a halo of smoke surrounds me, dancing over my head like a ghost. Its scent clings to my shirt and stays with me until I leave the room.” The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist. He can be reached at omariftikhar@hotmail.com and Tweets at @omarifikhtar