Laws in the US

The Space Between Us: A Novel ( Deckle Edge ) (P.S.)

Description

Poignant, evocative, and unforgettable, The Space Between Us is an intimate portrait of a distant yet familiar world. Set in modern-day India, it is the story of two compelling and achingly real women: Sera Dubash, an upper-middle-class Parsi housewife whose opulent surroundings hide the shame and disappointment of her abusive marriage, and Bhima, a stoic illiterate hardened by a life of despair and loss, who has worked in the Dubash household for more than twenty years. A powerful and perceptive literary masterwork, author Thrity Umrigar's extraordinary novel demonstrates how the lives of the rich and poor are intrinsically connected yet vastly removed from each other, and how the strong bonds of womanhood are eternally opposed by the divisions of class and culture.

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, Umrigar does an admirable job of creating two sympathetic characters whose bond goes far deeper than that of employer and employee.

When we first meet Bhima, she is sharing a thin mattress with Maya, the granddaughter upon whom high hopes and dreams were placed, only to be shattered by an unexpected pregnancy and its disastrous consequences. As time goes on, we learn that Sera and her family have used their power and money time and time again to influence the lives of Bhima and Maya, from caring for Bhima's estranged husband after a workplace accident, to providing the funds for Maya's college education. We also learn that 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. Yet through the 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. --Gisele Toueg

Reviews

Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2010-09-06
Summary: "Not great"

The story was quite predicable -- The author used lots of foreign words with no glossary or explanation. After a while, I didn't care. A B- book at best.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-09-02
Summary: "The Space Between Us"

The Space Between Us is an engaging, thoughtful and intelligent story. It was such a treat how Dr. Umrigar was able to articulate the feelings and emotions of both working class as well as middle class Indian and Parsi women and the fact that I, a Mexican American, could so deeply understand the emotions, fears and hopes speaks to the fact that this book will be appreciated by those of any culture. At times I felt frustrated with the mistreatment of women, at times I felt anxious to know that the treatment of women throughout the world, despite class, varies greatly, in the end I felt proud to be a member of such a passionate, caring and powerful group. Dr. Umrigar, writes beautifully. Once you become engaged in the story it will be difficult to put down.

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Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2010-08-23
Summary: "The treacherous space between between two Indian women"

The space between us narrates the bond and class distinction of two Indian women, Bhima, a domestic help for Sera Dubash, a wealthy Parsi widow in Bombay. Both women are joined together by life's adversities but separated by class distinction in the society. Bhima's adversities has been harsh: Bedeviled by poverty in a slum, she has been a victim of treachery due to her illiteracy. Believing in the power of education, she saw to it that her orphaned granddaughter, Maya would be educated. Unfortunately, Maya has shattered her dreams of an education by becoming pregnant. Her work in the Dubash's household has its own drawbacks. She eats on the floor and is not allowed to share in the family's utensils, a space created by her boss, Sera Dubash, due to their class distinction. Sera Dubash's wealthy as she is, has been a victim of domestic violence in the hands of her husband. And she tries to "bridge" the gap that exists between her and her househelp by providing quite generously to her employee, a superficial gesture through handouts. However the chasm still exists between them, and finally grows wider by the treacherous act of Sera Dubash's son in-law, Viraf, who falsely implicates the faithful Bhima of theft, in an act to conceal his weakness: impregnating Maya. When the truth surfaces, the trust between Sera and Bhima is ultimately shattered by blood and class, and the elderly Bhima is terminated from her job.

The Space between us, as melancholic as it is, is a universal story on class distinction and betrayal.

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Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2010-08-19
Summary: "It's OK"

It's an OK book. The story is good but it is very long winded. It took too long for the story to come to an end. I didn't grow to like any of the main characters either.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-04
Summary: "Lovely, heart-wrenching and gripping."

A beautiful, engrossing book! The author's portrayal of emotions is extremely eloquent and insightful, and her command of language is superb, with beautiful and vivid imagery. I couldn't put the book down and cried many times throughout the book, mainly because the story was so compelling and moving, and partly because I have seen first-hand the raw poverty in India, the ruthless class divisions, the savage oppression of those in positions of power ... and also the largeness of the hearts of those who have so little, the tremendous inner strength of those who survived devastating upheavals, and the beauty of humanity juxtaposed with its ugliness. My life has been profoundly affected and shaped by my own "Bhima" and "Banu" (characters in the book), and I felt a strong affinity with both the story and the protagonists. I highly recommend this book!