A journalist writing about journalism and the general manipulation of media is a heady mix. When the writing is a combo of respect for the facts and a passion for the story, both blend into a seamless piece of fictional writing, and what we have is a page-turner. Umber Khairi, a seasoned journalist, who has worked at leading news organisations in Pakistan and abroad at BBC World Services, has succeeded on all of the above in her debut novel, Akbar in Wonderland.

The story is set in the 1990s, the heady days of post-martial law Pakistan, in the newsroom of leading newspaper ‘Star’ which is about to launch a current affairs magazine and plans to launch a TV channel too.

No big surprise then that it becomes the prime target of Pakistan’s famed – and feared – intelligence agencies. However, they are not the only ones playing the game of manipulating the news and the public’s gullibility for their own benefits. The cast of characters muddying the already muddied waters include the media owner, editors, reporters and special project journalists who have their own cunning roles to play in this intricately imagined ‘Wonderland’ and ‘Wanderings’ in Pakistan’s recent history.

Karachi is where all the action takes place, 'a big-hearted city’ to those of us who lived there at a certain time in its life — providing sanctuary to hard working people from all over the country, indeed, all over the world. We are teleported back in time by beautifully written passages, evoking fond memories of popular hangouts: eateries (for that is what one most often does for entertainment in Karachi) like ‘Bundu Khan’ where the richest and the poorest shared the same space, ate at the same tables (maybe not at the same time); where the mouth and eye-watering tikkas and kebabs money could buy, held us all in their thrall. So consumed were we by the devilish tingling of the taste buds, that neither the stray cats that wandered amongst our tables or the less than hygienic conditions of our surroundings could distract us from what we were about to receive.

Umber portrays life in Karachi from the lens of genesis: the emergence of political party ‘M’, with its promises of challenging the established religious ‘Jammat’ party and that of the phenomenon of target killings that was soon to destroy the fabric of the city as we once knew it.

Akbar, the main protagonist, is a young, middle class, well-educated Karachiite who gets caught up in events far beyond his imagination — much less control. He has recently been appointed editor of the newspaper’s soon to be launched current affairs magazine, despite just a few years’ experience as a journalist in Pakistan.

For too long he remains oblivious of the dark forces swirling within and outside the ‘Star’ — forces that control what can and cannot be said, how it is said and how those choices are used to malign politicians and political parties and manipulate the public’s perception of them. In laying out the stakes for each one of the story’s characters, the author deftly sidesteps its denouement though for Karachiites, and indeed most Pakistanis of a certain age and era, #iykyk.

For the story, an artful work of fiction it may be, is very much rooted in fact. This is a world where fact is stranger, scarier, and more brutal than fiction. Poor Akbar, determined and hard-nosed in his quest to get to the truth and to publish it, is out-manoeuvred over and over again. Despite being a fast moving, thoroughly enjoyable read, Akbar in Wonderland never lets you lose sight of the actual characters or the key events that have defined that era.

The drama and pace of the novel is captivating, at times allowing you to imagine the scenes being played out in a big budget Hollywood thriller. There is one where the suspense builds up relentlessly. A foreign airline, a flight that must take off, with all its passengers. Will it? Won’t it? Perhaps it will. Perhaps ... This is at par with Ben Affleck’s famous award-winning movie, ‘Argo’. The tension and the suspense build up relentlessly, the author, it seems, enjoying her power to make us squirm in anticipation of the worst. The fast-paced writing is as frightening as it is enjoyable. Gods of Netflix, take note!

I closed the book and wondered: have things changed for the country and its media? The answer is lost, I was going to say as our mangrove forests, but those are back. So perhaps the answer will be too.

In the meantime, the novel touches upon many of the tragedies, challenges, conspiracies, tests of will and destiny that have both shaken and stirred Pakistan since the heady days when it was ruled by its first (and only) elected woman prime minster. There are obvious and not so obvious parallels between the fate of her government and some recent ones — the lessons from those decades are still relevant, a quarter of a century later.

So much has changed. And yet so little.

Akbar, or is it Pakistan, continues to live in an unending loop, stuck in wonderland, prisoner to its whims.

Aftab Siddiqui is a political and economic analyst based in London can be reached at @SiddiquiAftab

All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writer.