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joaniesickler's review against another edition
3.0
It's so richly Indian - the language, smells, sounds, huge disparities in rich and poor. Ali recommended it. The space between mother and child; grandmother and granddaughter; rich and poor; men and women; powerful and powerless; husband and wife. So many spaces. So much space. We narrow it and then it opens up again unexpectedly. Many twists and turns here. It's a great, sad, ultimately worthy story.
shortsm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
oisin175's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A painful look at the difficulties women deal with in India and the pain that can come from the divides of class, caste, and education. In the end, all of the characters are both sympathetic and mildly infuriating because of their various bigotries and the trauma they inflict on each other. A book that exists at the intersection of various forms of oppression.
arfox2's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
utahmomreads's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally posted on my blog: http://utahmomslife.blogspot.com/2011/03/space-between-us-book-review.html
In The Space Between Us, Thrity Umrigar takes her readers around the planet to Bombay, India which at first seems like a completely different world with it's own unique cultures and customs. However, the people in India are just that--people. And people really aren't that different from each other whether they live in Bombay, Salt Lake City or Copenhagen--we all dream for a better future, for love, for understanding.
Umrigar tells this story of human desires in the setting of Bombay where the very poor work in the houses of the middle class (labor is very cheap and they lack the conveniences such as dishwashers and washing machines, so even the middle class have maids). There are distinct divisions between the classes. Even the most well treated maids must use separate dishes and are not allowed to sit on the furniture.
Bhima has worked for Sera for many many years. They have become close and over the years Sera has paid for Bhima's granddaughter Maya to attend school and college. Now seventeen year old Maya is pregnant and everyone around her insists that she have an abortion so that she can return to college and not "ruin" her life. The destruction of the child will have lasting effects for both Bhima and Sera's families.
Bhima and Sera are not so very different in their personal desires and neither, whether learned and well-off or impoverished and illiterate, have had much power to direct the flow of their own lives.
The descriptions of the slums in which Bhima and Maya live are raw. Umrigar is a skilled weaver of beautiful and powerful fiction. She writes so well that I felt as if I were walking along the beach with Bhima and buying balloon animals from her balloonwalla or breathing in the smells from the open air market.
Dealing with painful subjects such as extreme poverty, abortion, rape and illiteracy (not unique to India), this is not a novel that will warm you heart. However, Umrigar treats these subjects with dignity and honesty through the sensitive eyes of two believable and likable characters.
I found the novel both gripping and heart breaking. It moved me.
In The Space Between Us, Thrity Umrigar takes her readers around the planet to Bombay, India which at first seems like a completely different world with it's own unique cultures and customs. However, the people in India are just that--people. And people really aren't that different from each other whether they live in Bombay, Salt Lake City or Copenhagen--we all dream for a better future, for love, for understanding.
Umrigar tells this story of human desires in the setting of Bombay where the very poor work in the houses of the middle class (labor is very cheap and they lack the conveniences such as dishwashers and washing machines, so even the middle class have maids). There are distinct divisions between the classes. Even the most well treated maids must use separate dishes and are not allowed to sit on the furniture.
Bhima has worked for Sera for many many years. They have become close and over the years Sera has paid for Bhima's granddaughter Maya to attend school and college. Now seventeen year old Maya is pregnant and everyone around her insists that she have an abortion so that she can return to college and not "ruin" her life. The destruction of the child will have lasting effects for both Bhima and Sera's families.
Bhima and Sera are not so very different in their personal desires and neither, whether learned and well-off or impoverished and illiterate, have had much power to direct the flow of their own lives.
The descriptions of the slums in which Bhima and Maya live are raw. Umrigar is a skilled weaver of beautiful and powerful fiction. She writes so well that I felt as if I were walking along the beach with Bhima and buying balloon animals from her balloonwalla or breathing in the smells from the open air market.
Dealing with painful subjects such as extreme poverty, abortion, rape and illiteracy (not unique to India), this is not a novel that will warm you heart. However, Umrigar treats these subjects with dignity and honesty through the sensitive eyes of two believable and likable characters.
I found the novel both gripping and heart breaking. It moved me.
loveambreen's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rates up because it would be a 4 if I didn't read so many books in this genre.
ala2134's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was extremely sad, but the story itself was riveting. I generally enjoy this author’s writing and this novel was no different. Her prose is beautiful and the characters are well developed, drawing you deeper into the story.
She juxtaposes the lives of a servant and her employer, exploring their family histories and demonstrating that despite the differences in class, each woman has suffered immense pain. Each layer of the story was tragic. At times, I found myself questioning their naive choices to stay with their abusers, but ultimately I think the author succeeds in showing the complicated facets of life.
This does not have a happy ending nor a neat conclusion, but I did enjoy reading it and getting a window into the lives of women in Bombay.
spaces_and_solaces's review against another edition
5.0
I have been thinking a lot about how I’d like to review this book.
Truth be told, I’ve never had such conflicting emotions before while reading a book.
Reading the last few chapters made me want to weep, but at the same time the character's resilience made me want to jump up in joy.
The story is about an uber rich Parsi lady & her female helper/ maid. The author has expertly taken a seemingly ordinary story about the lives of two women intersecting at the gates of hope & hopelessness and brought to us a book that’s brilliant yet relatable.
Though narrated through their lenses, this is not just their story. It’s a story you’ll find in every other household in India / at least Mumbai.
What this novel seems to examine is not only the relationship between a housewife & her helper but also the blatant, inherent casteism that binds the mindset of the educated & the uneducated alike.
Simplistic yet utterly thought provoking, this literary marvel gives rise to thoughts & feelings that had long settled into a deep state of slumber within.
The space between a housewife & her maid has never been so beautifully explored, the unfairness of life, the injustices of the world, the despair, the darkness, and then the hard-earned reprieve comes to life with the written words.
You know the feeling of in-betweenness? From where a person is & where they want to be? That is exactly where you’ll find the heart of this story.
Last few chapters were a culmination of the real, raw, dark, wild emotions that a person who seems to be at the very end of the road feels and then the author slowly but deftly pulls on the line of wonder & brings a sense of hope and light as strong as that of a beating heart.
Finishing this book felt like listening to the end of my favorite song, knowing I’d never get to listen to it for the first time again, but at the same time be at peace with it
Truth be told, I’ve never had such conflicting emotions before while reading a book.
Reading the last few chapters made me want to weep, but at the same time the character's resilience made me want to jump up in joy.
The story is about an uber rich Parsi lady & her female helper/ maid. The author has expertly taken a seemingly ordinary story about the lives of two women intersecting at the gates of hope & hopelessness and brought to us a book that’s brilliant yet relatable.
Though narrated through their lenses, this is not just their story. It’s a story you’ll find in every other household in India / at least Mumbai.
What this novel seems to examine is not only the relationship between a housewife & her helper but also the blatant, inherent casteism that binds the mindset of the educated & the uneducated alike.
Simplistic yet utterly thought provoking, this literary marvel gives rise to thoughts & feelings that had long settled into a deep state of slumber within.
The space between a housewife & her maid has never been so beautifully explored, the unfairness of life, the injustices of the world, the despair, the darkness, and then the hard-earned reprieve comes to life with the written words.
You know the feeling of in-betweenness? From where a person is & where they want to be? That is exactly where you’ll find the heart of this story.
Last few chapters were a culmination of the real, raw, dark, wild emotions that a person who seems to be at the very end of the road feels and then the author slowly but deftly pulls on the line of wonder & brings a sense of hope and light as strong as that of a beating heart.
Finishing this book felt like listening to the end of my favorite song, knowing I’d never get to listen to it for the first time again, but at the same time be at peace with it
whitneykey's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5