Tag Archives: Thrity Umrigar

Bookish Talk

Thrity Thursdays! AKA “The Space Between Us” Read-Along – Week 3

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The Space Between Us

Welcome to Thrity Thursday, also known as “The Space Between Us” read-along. We’ll be reading the book over the next few weeks. Thanks to Lisa for putting it together and thanks to these other bloggers for joining in on the fun!

Dar at Peeking Between The Pages
Staci at Life In The Thumb
Kathy at Mommy’s Reading
Booksync at Book In The City
Bailey at The Window Seat Reader
Mari at Bookworm With A View

Chapters 12-15

My Synopsis:

My hope is that after this read-along, some of you will get a copy of this book and read it on your own. Since that is my wish, my synopsis isn’t a play-by-play account of what I’ve read, but just a high-level overview of what took place. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. With that said…

In this week’s reading, we learn a bit more about Maya’s parents and how Maya ended up living with her grandmother, Bhima. We also learn of Sera’s own difficulties and her struggle to understand her husband, Feroz and his wicked mother, Banu. Although Sera lives a more privileged life, her troubles are no less serious than that of Bhima’s.

My Thoughts:

One can argue that this novel is really two parallel stories that come together in a common way. I say this because Umrigar seems to pay equal time to both Bhima and Sera. I’ve read novels with this structure in the past, and they’ve always left me disappointed. I’m not feeling that here, though. Umrigar successfully weaves in and out of the lives of these women. Nothing feels forced. At the end of each chapter, I feel compelled to keep reading.

Whereas the first half of this book dealt with the present day, the second half seems to be focusing on the past and how things came to be. I tend to like it when an author manages to explain a character’s actions without it being force-fed to you in some manner.

So far the story is easy to follow and is filled with characters that I care about. I can’t wait for the next installment.

Bookish Talk

Thrity Thursdays! AKA “The Space Between Us” Read-Along – Weeks 1 & 2

12 Comments

The Space Between Us

Welcome to Thrity Thursday, also known as “The Space Between Us” read-along. We’ll be reading the book over the next few weeks. Thanks to Lisa for putting it together and thanks to these other bloggers for joining in on the fun!

Dar at Peeking Between The Pages
Staci at Life In The Thumb
Kathy at Mommy’s Reading
Booksync at Book In The City
Bailey at The Window Seat Reader
Mari at Bookworm With A View

Chapters 1-11

My Synopsis:

I am playing catch-up since I was supposed to post about the first six chapters last week, so I will keep this short.

Bhima and Maya live in the slums of Bombay. Bhima is Maya’s grandmother and makes her living working for Sera. Sera has money and lives with her daughter Dinaz and her husband, and they are expecting their first baby. Maya is also expecting her first baby, but it’s a baby produced out-of-wedlock, and the pregnancy promises nothing but shame for Maya and her grandmother.

The two families, although tied together by Bhima’s employment to Sera, have their own history. Both have shared disappointment and grief and both bear their own burdens. Sera’s money is what puts Maya through college, so it’s only normal for Sera to feel some resentment when Maya becomes pregnant. Bhima shares in that resentment and is grateful when Sera once again, comes to their aid, but there are hurt feelings as each struggle with what they’ve been given.

My Thoughts:

When I read The Weight of Heaven, I was charmed by Umrigar’s talent as a storyteller. I had no problem getting into the story and the same can be said with The Space Between Us. I worried about being able to catch-up with the others since I was so far behind in my reading, but over one, lovely day I opened the book and before I knew it, I was already eleven chapters in.

The difference in class is great, yet the two families respect one another and often find themselves baffled over their differences. Sera manages to be fascinated and repulsed at the same time while visiting Bhima in her slum hut. Bhima realizes that although Sera’s family has money, that there are secrets there as well. No family is perfect.

I am so taken with these characters, that reading about them, takes no effort at all. I look forward to the second half of the book and from what I’ve read, this would make a fabulous book club pick.