Journalist Thrity Umrigar's novel, The Space Between Us, is the kind of story weighted down with the familiar heaviness of real emotions, family drama, regrets, hopes, and misplaced anger, but it still flies by. It is set in modern day India, where Umrigar grew up, and is essentially a novel analyzing gender and class through the lens of two compelling characters: Sera, an upper-middle class Parsi housewife and Bhima, Sera's longtime servant. They are each others unlikely anchors through 20 years of drama, much of it brought on by asshole men.
Umrigar is a beautiful storyteller, taking time out to reflect on some of life's largest, most universal questions. Passages like this took my breath away:
Perhaps time doesn't heal wounds at all, perhaps that is the biggest lie of them all, and instead what happens is that each wound penetrates the body deeper and deeper until one day you find that the sheer geography of your bones--the angle of your head, the jutting of your hips, the sharpness of your shoulders, as well as the luster of your eyes, the texture of your skin, the openness of your smile--has collapsed under the weight of your grief.
Umrigar isn't opaque about her intentions. In an interview in the back, she explains: "...a kind of unlikely friendship, a trust, an unspoken language of understanding, springs up between the women. But there is always a formality, a ritualized 'space' that can never quote be bridged. Each woman is governed and restricted by class divisions." Interestingly, Bhima, the servant character, is actually based on a real woman who worked in Umrigar's home while she was growing up in India. Umrigar is quick to point out that, while this is quintessentially a story about class in contemporary India, it has dynamics that can be seen in almost any modern country.
I won't do an spoiling here, but I have to admit that the one piece of this novel I felt estranging and a bit unbelievable was the end. I'd be curious to see if other people were struck this same way. Overall, a wonderful read and a great study in gender/class dynamics.
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I'll have to put this on my list.
Regarding the passage you've cited, I try not to think about the grief I've experienced in my own life beating me down to such a degree that I can never recover from it. I am a big believer in the fact that time does heal all. This is coming from a man for whom few things came easily and through trial and much error eventually conquered many of his shortcomings. I think with pain comes wisdom and with it too comes a gentle sympathy with others who suffer. If my life had been easy, I doubt I would be inclined to try to make life better for those not necessarily like me.
Some people may not need to have experienced such things to reach that point, but I can't help but notice how the people who inspire and lead with much success are those whose internal struggles and demons nearly killed them.
I'd pick this book up if for no other reason than that amazing cover, lovely.
Thanks for the wonderful review, I love to have one copy of this book “The Space Between Us”. This is really worth of fast cash since the story centered at the familiar heaviness of real emotions, family drama, regrets, hopes, and misplaced anger, but it still flies by. Ever since I love the works of Thrity Umrigar, I like her choices of plot and she usually deliver true and real-life situational novel. Up to now, we can still feel the discrimination and big gap between gender and class especially when women are talk about. I just hope this novel will open up our minds. Good work and more power!
The remarkable book. Recently re-read it once again. Are surprised, what emotions, dramas, plots and turns of events! I would be ready to give back fast cash to see all this on the present.