Karina Marais Buy the book

Upstairs Downstairs

A Musical Memoir

Front cover of Upstairs Downstairs: A Musical Memoir by Karina Marais: Karina in a red gown, red fabric flying, on a rooftop in Cappadocia.

A Love Story of Dreams and Living Apart Together by Karina Marais

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As featured in Sunday Times IOL Kingsmead Book Fair 2026 Get It magazine

Upstairs Downstairs standing on a stack of copies, its back cover behind it.

“Knock-knock, anybody home?”

For 20 years, Karina Marais and her partner have lived apart together in a shared residence—his bachelor pad upstairs, her retreat downstairs—connected by a staircase that links their spaces while preserving their independence. No unannounced visits, no dull routines, just passion, freedom, and a love story shaped on their terms.

Through multisensory storytelling with words, lyric readings, music, and videos, she brings to life the emotions behind love, loss, and the pursuit of dreams.

Contents

Open a part to see its chapters and songs. Press play to watch or hear each song.

  1. Part 0 The Spark of Yet Another Dream 2 songs
    1. 0 My ‘Purple Cow’
  2. Part 1 A Glimpse into Love Redefined 3 songs
    1. 1.1 A Blueprint for Independence
    2. 1.2 Upstairs Downstairs
    3. 1.3 Caviar, Cava, and a Love Song
  3. Part 2 Threads of Time and Memory 6 songs
    1. 2.1 Red Shoes, Stitches, and the Fabric of a Dream
    2. 2.2 Secrets, Scandals, and Shattered Bonds
    3. 2.3 Falling, Fate, and First Love
    4. 2.4 Love, Loss, and Lilac Pantyhose
  4. Part 3 The ‘White House’—Married Life Chapters
    1. 3.1 Love, Marriage, and Everything Between
    2. 3.2 Barefoot Beginnings
    3. 3.3 Reading Between the Lines
    4. 3.4 The Tiger, Stocks, and Sibling Hustles
  5. Part 4 From Sparks to Ashes 1 song
    1. 4.1 The Colour of Loyalty
    2. 4.2 Hares and Turtles
    3. 4.3 One Last Leap Before Letting Go
    4. 4.4 When the Ground Beneath Me Shifted
    5. 4.5 Reflecting on Divorce Through Art and Music
    6. 4.6 Grief, Glamour, and Mirror Reflections
  6. Part 5 Running with Bulls Chapters
    1. 5.1 Lights, Camera, Action
    2. 5.2 Patents, Prototypes, and Priceless Lessons
    3. 5.3 Board Games, Big Apple Dreams, and a Barbie Twist
  7. Part 6 The Gamble of a Lifetime 1 song
    1. 6.1 A Glittering Night and the Quest for Love
    2. 6.2 A Dreamer, Not a Lawyer
    3. 6.3 Mr MBA
    4. 6.4 Revealing Strategies
    5. 6.5 Beyond Age: A Meeting of Minds
    6. 6.6 A Festive Flight into Forever
  8. Part 7 The Anatomy of a LAT Relationship 3 songs
    1. 7.1 Two Faces in the Hallway
    2. 7.2 Love and Independence
    3. 7.3 The Cradle of Humankind and the Evolution of Our Love
    4. 7.4 Holidays and a Toothpaste Nightmare
    5. 7.5 Dreaming Together
    6. 7.6 Love’s Logistics
  9. Part 8 Chasing Bold Dreams Chapters
    1. 8.1 From Baby Jokes to Big Ambitions
    2. 8.2 Blue Plates, Big Dreams, and Corporate Cold Feet
    3. 8.3 Nine Out of Ten Entrepreneurs
    4. 8.4 Chasing a Dream Barefoot
    5. 8.5 Nightgowns, Awards, and Snow Globes
    6. 8.6 Tea, Talks, and Task Teams
  10. Part 9 LAT Rituals, a Fallout, and Other Insights 6 songs
    1. 9.1 Swan Songs and Morning Rituals
    2. 9.2 Our Culinary Love Affair
    3. 9.3 What happened in Sanya did not stay in Sanya
    4. 9.4 Personal Space, Sleeping, and Snoring
  11. Part 10 The Intimacy Equation—Fortune, Farewells, Hotels and Romance 7 songs
    1. 10.1 Fortune Cookies and Forbidden Topics
    2. 10.2 A Funeral, Ice cream, and Sex
    3. 10.3 An Architect’s Insight into Hotels and Romance
  12. Part 11 Content, Complete in Every Way 3 songs
    1. 11.1 Entrepreneurial Dreams
    2. 11.2 Excel-ing at Holiday Planning
    3. 11.3 A Love Story Wrapped in Waves

  13. Dream, Final Purple Cow, Action

Upstairs Downstairs in paperback, front and back, on a stack of copies.

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Chapter-by-chapter introduction

Book facts

Paperback
Reach Publishers21 January 2026ISBN 978-1-0492-2206-6RRP R295
Ebook
1 January 2026ISBN 979-8-2339-4240-2Kindle ASIN B0G9S47WH7
Audiobook
Narrated by Karina Marais11 h 26 min
Category
Memoir

Questions

What is Upstairs Downstairs about?

Upstairs Downstairs: A Musical Memoir by Karina Marais is a love story of dreams and Living Apart Together, told in words, lyric readings, music and video.

What is a musical memoir?

A memoir told through words, lyric readings, music, and video. Karina wrote the lyrics of all 32 original songs on her three albums, which form the soundtrack of her life.

Where can I buy the book?

Upstairs Downstairs is available online and in selected bookstores. See Buy the book on this page.

Is there an audiobook?

Yes. The audiobook is narrated by Karina Marais herself (11 h 26 min) and is on Spotify.

“…calling it a book does not do it justice.”

IOL review, “A Staircase Between Two Lives”