The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

Paperback Edition

I've had the paperback edition of The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar sitting on my bookshelf  for just over four years now and am thrilled that I have finally read it! Thrity Umrigar is a new to me author and I found her writing to be wonderfully captivating and all around engaging.

It took me a while to warm up to The Space Between Us as it started off slowly in my opinion. But once I became hooked on this novel, I found it difficult to it put down... The Space Between Us is a very fast read. I feel that Thrity Umigar is a good writer and storyteller. Thrity Umigar created fabulous characters, even if I didn't like quite a few of them in The Space Between Us. My favorite character in The Space Between Us is Bhima. My least favorite characters in The Space Between Us is Feroz, Banu, and Viraf.

The Space Between Us is an overall wonderful novel, but is depressing in many parts as some of the content was difficult for me to read about. The ending of the novel ends on an upbeat note, which I found to be uplifting. I like the message conveyed at the end of the novel by the author of Bhima finding freedom and inner peace.

The following is the plot summary for The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar from the author's website: 

The Space Between Us, Thrity Umrigar's poignant novel about a wealthy woman and her downtrodden servant, offers a revealing look at class and gender roles in modern day Bombay. Alternatively told through the eyes of Sera, a Parsi widow whose pregnant daughter and son-in-law share her elegant home, and Bhima, the elderly housekeeper who must support her orphaned granddaughter, the two women have a bond that goes far deeper than that of employer and employee. But Sera’s seemingly privileged life is not as it appears; after enduring years of cruelty under her mother-in-law's roof, she faced physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband, pain that only Bhima could see and alleviate. Through their triumphs and tragedies, Sera and Bhima always shared a bond that transcended class and race; a bond shared by two women whose fate always seemed to rest in the hands of others, just outside their control. 

Told in a series of flashbacks and present day encounters, The Space Between Us gains strength from both plot and prose. A beautiful tale of tragedy and hope, Umrigar's second novel is sure to linger in readers' minds.

I am giving The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar a rating of 4 stars out of 5.

Until my next post, happy reading!!