Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
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
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
A story of friendship
Customer Rating:
The book is a very, very sad story of the sometimes tender, sometimes painful friendship between two women. It was well written and easy to read though the book did not "call" me. The caste system is alive and well in India. I had trouble believing is was set in current times. I am looking forward to reading other books by this talented author. I have heard her other works are even better. Every member of our book club enjoyed it.
Absolutely beautiful
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A beautiful book about two families of women in India. One is a servant, living in the slums, whose orphan granddaughter becomes pregnant. The other is the family she works for - led by Sera, whose daughter is married and pregnant. We discover much about the women's pasts and how they ended up where they are and what has shaped them in their lives.
It's a really wonderful story - it's unceasingly interesting and full of twists (the big twist I had not expected at all). You really begin to feel compassion for both the lead female characters. One has suffered through an abusive marriage and the other has lost husband, children, and her life to servitude. Beautifully written and completely enthralling.
universal dilemmas
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interesting window into two intertwined domestic households.... class issues, domestic abuse. Sent me to the encyclopedia to deconstruct the Parsi, Hindu, Muslim distinctions.
Parallel Lives, Different Classes
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With The Space Between Us: A Novel (P.S.), Thrity Umrigar has created a poetic and beautiful novel about two women in India. Though living parallel lives, they belong to different classes - - and never the twain shall meet. Using Bombay as a backdrop, India, its class system, the role of women, and the presence of domestic violence are all explored.
As the novel opens, Maya, a girl of seventeen finds herself pregnant and in need of an abortion. She is the granddaughter of Bhima, servant to Sera and her family. Bhima has worked for this same family for close to twenty years and, in some ways, cares as much about them as she does her own blood family. The families are connected in a close yet very defined way. Sera has known Maya since she was a baby and has been paying for Maya's college. Now Maya will have to drop out because of her pregnancy. This is a shock to Bhima who is illiterate and uneducated. She had hoped that Maya would break this family tradition and be the first one to get a real education.
Sera is kind to Bhima, giving her Cadbury chocolates and goodies. Despite these acts of kindness, however, Bhima is not allowed to use their furniture or sit at their table. Class differences (not castes) are absolute in Indian culture and especially with the Parsi population. While Sera sits on a chair, Bhima must squat on the floor beside her. Bhima lives in a slum where there is a horrible stench all the time. The bathroom is communal and people squat on the floow to urinate and defecate. There are no sinks or running water in the slums. After Bhima brushes her teeth, she spits her toothpaste into stagnant water outside her house.
The novel's narrative takes place in the present and in the past. We learn about Bhima and Sera's current lives and also about their history - - their marriages, their children, their pain, their happiness and their secrets. The story takes place in the backdrop of bustling Bombay. We are privy to the smells, tastes, sounds, crowds and waters that define this city. Umrigar is a master of description without it being overdone or too much. She is also a master of characterization and the reader feels that s/he knows Bhima and Sera well.
Sera is an upper middle-class Parsi. She lives with her pregnant daughter and son-in-law. She has been widowed for three years when the novel begins. Her marriage has been one of love and hate, push and pull. For years she has put up with her husband's abuse under the eyes of her in-laws, especially her cruel mother-in-law. This is Sera's great shame.
Bhima had a good marriage initially but then her husband had an accident at work, started drinking heavily and lleft her, taking their son with him. This nearly destroyed Bhima but she learns to go on because she still has her daughter. Soon enough, however, her daughter dies of AIDS and Bhima must care for her granddaughter, Maya.
This is a wonderful novel, rich and beautiful in its language and descriptions. The story line flows and I hated to put it down. It felt like I held a beating heart in my hand every time I picked this book up - - it was that alive. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a riveting story line, great characterization, Indian culture, and women's issues.
Wow - what an amazing & wonderful novel! A must read!
Customer Rating:
The Space Between Us was unbelievably moving and has left me with the intention to encourage my family and friends to read it. I had already bought it (prior to finishing it) as a belated birthday gift for a dear friend of mine who also happens to be a Parsi in LA. This book gave me some insight into Parsi culture and lifted some of my ignorance in a way that non-fiction may not have been able.
I was also extremely touched and inspired by the universal themes within this story that transcend cultures/religions/etc. The novel's discussion of relationships (particularily marriages) resonated with me as well as the mother-daughter relationships between Sera and her mother and daughter. I also found your description and handling of class issues fascinating and it has me thinking how much classism is part of life here in the US - albeit somewhat hidden or glossed over.
Bottom line - what a wonderful story! I look forward to reading the author's other novels."
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