Upstairs Downstairs
Karina Marais
A first-of-its-kind musical memoir that blends storytelling with lyric readings, original songs, and videos.
“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.
In Upstairs Downstairs, Marais shows how they successfully manage a Living Apart Together relationship where love, ambition, and independence coexist. But her memoir isn’t just about love after divorce—it’s also about passion and daring to dream. Some of her dreams took flight, others fell short, but she didn’t want to leave this world without chasing them.
That drive makes her jump out of bed every morning, a trait many aspiring entrepreneurs share. Through multisensory storytelling with words, lyric readings, and music, she brings to life the emotions behind love, loss, and the pursuit of dreams in this South African memoir.
Duration - 11h 26m.
Author - Karina Marais.
Narrator - Karina Marais.
Published Date - Thursday, 01 January 2026.
Copyright - © 2026 Karina Marais ©.
Location:
United States
Description:
A first-of-its-kind musical memoir that blends storytelling with lyric readings, original songs, and videos. “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. In Upstairs Downstairs, Marais shows how they successfully manage a Living Apart Together relationship where love, ambition, and independence coexist. But her memoir isn’t just about love after divorce—it’s also about passion and daring to dream. Some of her dreams took flight, others fell short, but she didn’t want to leave this world without chasing them. That drive makes her jump out of bed every morning, a trait many aspiring entrepreneurs share. Through multisensory storytelling with words, lyric readings, and music, she brings to life the emotions behind love, loss, and the pursuit of dreams in this South African memoir. Duration - 11h 26m. Author - Karina Marais. Narrator - Karina Marais. Published Date - Thursday, 01 January 2026. Copyright - © 2026 Karina Marais ©.
Language:
English
Opening Credits
Duration:00:00:20
Dedication
Duration:00:00:39
Introduction
Duration:00:05:32
Part 00 THE SPARK OF YET ANOTHER DREAM Ch 00.0 My ‘Purple Cow’
Duration:00:21:26
Part 01 A GLIMPSE INTO LOVE REDEFINED Ch 01.1 A Blueprint for Independence
Duration:00:08:42
Ch 01.2 Upstairs Downstairs
Duration:00:26:05
Ch 01.3 Caviar, Cava, and a Love Song
Duration:00:12:18
Part 02 THREADS OF TIME AND MEMORY Ch 02.1 Red Shoes, Stitches, and the Fabric of a Dream
Duration:00:42:04
Ch 02.2 Secrets, Scandals, and Shattered Bonds
Duration:00:20:57
Ch 02.3 Falling, Fate, and First Love
Duration:00:10:09
Ch 02.4 Love, Loss, and Lilac Pantyhose
Duration:00:10:20
Part 03 THE ‘WHITE HOUSE’—MARRIED LIFE Ch 03.1 Love, Marriage, and Everything Between
Duration:00:10:32
Ch 03.2 Barefoot Beginnings
Duration:00:08:48
Ch 03.3 Reading Between the Lines
Duration:00:11:22
Ch 03.4 The Tiger, Stocks, and Sibling Hustles
Duration:00:09:45
Part 04 FROM SPARKS TO ASHES Ch 04.1 The Colour of Loyalty
Duration:00:09:17
Ch 04.2 Hares and Turtles
Duration:00:13:42
Ch 04.3 One Last Leap Before Letting Go
Duration:00:04:35
Ch 04.4 When the Ground Beneath Me Shifted
Duration:00:05:00
Ch 04.5 Reflecting on Divorce Through Art and Music
Duration:00:13:34
Ch 04.6 Grief, Glamour, and Mirror Reflections
Duration:00:11:58
Part 05 RUNNING WITH BULLS Ch 05.1 Lights, Camera, Action
Duration:00:07:41
Ch 05.2 Patents, Prototypes, and Priceless Lessons
Duration:00:08:00
Ch 05.3 Board Games, Big Apple Dreams, and a Barbie Twist
Duration:00:13:39
Part 06 THE GAMBLE OF A LIFETIME Ch 06.1 A Glittering Night and the Quest for Love
Duration:00:08:44
Ch 06.2 A Dreamer, Not a Lawyer
Duration:00:12:14
Ch 06.3 Mr MBA
Duration:00:14:12
Ch 06.4 Revealing Strategies
Duration:00:06:09
Ch 06.5 Beyond Age: A Meeting of Minds
Duration:00:06:03
Ch 06.6 A Festive Flight into Forever
Duration:00:08:29
Part 07 THE ANATOMY OF A LAT RELATIONSHIP Ch 07.1 Two Faces in the Hallway
Duration:00:13:14
Ch 07.2 Love and Independence
Duration:00:08:48
Ch 07.3 The Cradle of Humankind and the Evolution of Our Love
Duration:00:03:45
Ch 07.4 Holidays and a Toothpaste Nightmare
Duration:00:07:31
Ch 07.5 Dreaming Together
Duration:00:06:14
Ch 07.6 Love’s Logistics
Duration:00:20:25
Part 08 CHASING BOLD DREAMS Ch 08.1 From Baby Jokes to Big Ambitions
Duration:00:17:42
Ch 08.2 Blue Plates, Big Dreams, and Corporate Cold Feet
Duration:00:10:46
Ch 08.3 Nine Out of Ten Entrepreneurs
Duration:00:13:23
Ch 08.4 Chasing a Dream Barefoot
Duration:00:12:47
Ch 08.5 Nightgowns, Awards, and Snow Globes
Duration:00:17:18
Ch 08.6 Tea, Talks, and Task Teams
Duration:00:12:01
Part 09 LAT RITUALS, A FALLOUT, AND OTHER INSIGHTS Ch 09.1 Swan Songs and Morning Rituals
Duration:00:26:36
Ch 09.2 Our Culinary Love Affair
Duration:00:17:28
Ch 09.3 What happened in Sanya did not stay in Sanya
Duration:00:10:31
Ch 09.4 Personal Space, Sleeping, and Snoring
Duration:00:12:17
Part 10 THE INTIMACY EQUATION—FORTUNE, FAREWELLS, HOTELS AND ROMANCE Ch 10.1 Fortune Cookies and Forbidden Topics
Duration:00:05:34
Ch 10.2 A Funeral, Ice cream, and Sex
Duration:00:04:12
Ch 10.3 An Architect’s Insight into Hotels and Romance
Duration:00:45:47
Part 11 CONTENT, COMPLETE IN EVERY WAY Ch 11.1 Entrepreneurial Dreams
Duration:00:09:06
Ch 11.2 Excel-ing at Holiday Planning
Duration:00:19:53
Ch 11.3 A Love Story Wrapped in Waves
Duration:00:44:36
Double-bran Rusks Recipe
Duration:00:02:02
Acknowledgements
Duration:00:01:29
Ending Credits
Duration:00:00:21