House Number 12 Block Number 3

"An utterly original work of art and soul." –Karen Karbo, NYT best selling author of Yeah, No, Not Happening and In Praise of Difficult Women

"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." –Deborah Reed, author of Things We Set on Fire

"Gentle, evocative; an assured debut on a subject that has been swept under the rug for far too long." –Sanam Maher, Journalist and Author of A Woman Like Her: The Story Behind the Honor Killing of a Social Media Star

Karachi, Pakistan (20th century) – 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 behavior, and speculations abound: she may have a rare disease, she may be possessed by a jinn, or perhaps she is inclined to madness. Whatever the cause of this mysterious affliction, 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 political unrest, and Nadia seems to get worse by the day, the family searches desperately for the cause of, and the cure for their daughter’s mysterious malady.

House Number 12 Block Number 3, 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 turmoil, but not being able to do anything about it.