Fiction
2012 HarperCollins
Finished on February 9, 2021
Rating: 3/5 (Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
As university students in late 1970s Bombay, Armaiti, Laleh, Kavita, and Nishta were inseparable. Spirited and unconventional, they challenged authority and fought for a better world. But over the past thirty years, the quartet has drifted apart, the day-to-day demands of work and family tempering the revolutionary fervor they once shared.
Then comes devastating news: Armaiti, who moved to America, is gravely ill and wants to see the old friends she left behind. For Laleh, reunion is a bittersweet reminder of unfulfilled dreams and unspoken guilt. For Kavita, it is an admission of forbidden passion. For Nishta, it is the promise of freedom from a bitter, fundamentalist husband. And for Armaiti, it is an act of acceptance, of letting go on her own terms.
The World We Found is a dazzling masterwork from Thrity Umrigar, offering an unforgettable portrait of modern India while it explores the enduring bonds of friendship and the power of love to change lives.
I first came across the works of Thrity Umrigar almost exactly five years ago when I read The Space Between Us. That book was outstanding, bringing to mind another favorite, Rohinton Mistry's brilliant novel, A Fine Balance. I was in awe of Umrigar's writing and well-drawn characters and looked forward to reading more of her books. As it would happen, it took half a decade before I would finally pull my ARC of The World We Found from my shelf. I enjoyed the book well enough to finish, but sadly not nearly as much as The Space Between Us. The plot lacks depth and felt cliched with all the boxes neatly checked and accounted for: Cancer patient? Check. Religious extremist? Check. Submissive wife? Check? This was not the literary read I'd been looking forward to and I doubt I'll remember much about it in the coming months. However, I still intend to read The Secret Between Us, Umrigar's sequel to The Space Between Us.
One of the graduate students in the UH Creative Writing Program told me something that explained the great-first-book-mediocre-second-book phenomenon that I often see with new authors. What we want, she told me, is a two book deal. One book is completely finished and the second book is just a first chapter and a synopsis. Apparently this happens a lot, and the second book never really pans out.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I went back to Umrigar's website and see that The World We Found is actually her 6th book (and The Space Between Us was her 2nd). Nonetheless, my hopes for another great read were dashed. Maybe the next one will be better. I've heard very good things about The Story Hour, which I'll try later in the year.
DeleteHow disappointing! I've enjoyed a few of Umrigar novels and this post reminds me that The Space Between Us has been unread on my shelf for at least a decade. Maybe this will finally be the year I get to it? Sorry this one didn't live up to your expectation.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, there are a few more that I want to read, especially The Story Hour, which I've heard is very good. You're in for a treat with The Space Between Us!
DeleteThe Story Hour was a solid 4 star read for me.... liked it a lot!
DeleteGood to know, JoAnn. Thanks!
DeleteOh goodie! A new author for me. I just got The Space Between Us from my library. Thank you! :-)
ReplyDeleteLaurel, The Space Between Us is so good! This one, not so much. ;)
DeleteI agree, she's an excellent author. I think I read her first about 4 years ago.... I read her novel The Story Hour and then Everybody's Son and I liked them both. So I need to get to these other novels! Perhaps I liked The Story Hour a bit more than Everybody's Son .... but those ones you mention sound excellent. a sensitive writer!
ReplyDeleteSusan, I'm looking forward to The Story Hour. Several bloggers have mentioned how much they enjoyed it. I don't know anything about Everybody's Son, but will look into that one, as well.
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