The Space Between Us

Set in modernish day Bombay (the book was first published in 2006), it is the story of two women and the things that draw them together and also pull them apart. The chapters are narrated by each woman. This works particularly well here, as you can see the same situation through the eyes of these very different characters.Sera is a wealthy Parsi woman whose pregnant daughter and son-in-law move in with her after the death of her husband. She is also cared for by her long-time elderly servant Bhima. Bhima lives in the slums with her granddaughter who is attending college with the help and encouragement of Sera. Sera considers Bhima to be more than a servant and Bhima sees Sera as more than her mistress. They share family secrets and heartaches, but their relationship is far from equal. One scene that really sticks with me is of the two women having tea and conversation together. Sera sits at the dining room table drinking from nice china while Bhima squats against the wall drinking from a cup she brings from home.The novel focuses on a current crisis when Bhima’s granddaughter winds up pregnant. Everyone is concerned that this will ruin her college career and Bhima, Sera, and Sera’s children agree on a solution. This has far reaching repercussions for both families and the book has a tragic ending as a result. The second focus is on the earlier married life of the two woman. Though poor, Bhima has a happy marriage until her husband is injured in a work accident. Sera marries well, but lives a miserable existence with her husband and his equally nasty mother.This was initially going to be a 4-star rating from me, but after sitting with the book for a few days I changed my mind. I decided on a 5-star rating because I find myself thinking about all the nuances of class, money, education, and gender. Each woman is powerless in her own way, especially Bhima. The final scenes with the two women are heartbreaking and infuriating. However, the book ends on a hopeful note. In addition to a thought provoking story, the novel is well written and the story is very compelling. I have already purchased the sequel to this book, The Secrets Between Us. When I was looking through my too big TBR pile, I found that I had purchased another book by this author four years ago: The Story Hour. Now I am even more intrigued and need to move it up the pile. Maybe I need to take a break from buying books-NOT!

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.

This is a beautifully written book that takes you on the journey of its characters, even as you know what’s coming next, you are left hoping for the best. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to read the second in this series.

Me fascina con la autora escribe, hace sentir el personaje y lugar! Irresistible no comprar el libro que le sigue!

The Space Between Us captures the poignancy of an era and the divide between classes which sadly remains. It tugs at the heart strings yet the tale also weaves grit and determination. The author is a master storyteller. Highly recommend its sequel too - The Secrets Between Us.

This novel is a MUST. Although the setting is in India so far removed from my reality I could "see" and "feel" the culture of the country where the story was taking place. The characters are unbelievably well-developed. The story comes together beautifully, slowly but surely as we enjoy the musings of the main character whom we get to understand and love. We feel for her and there is no "space between us" as we become her and feel her pain, her longings, her worries, her deceptions. A beautiful novel. I look forward to reading more of Thrity Umrigar's books.

I loved this story of two women, who both did what was best for their families, and had to break something beautiful in doing it. It is a family saga between two worlds - rich / poor; mistress / servant; truth / lies. I was delighted to learn something about life within the caste system in India. The language was a colourful mixture of British colonial stiff upper-lip, American slang, Bollywood, and Hindi. "The Space Between Us" was colourful, rich, and fascinating. If it were a colour - it would be deep red melting into purple. Laughed and cried to the same degree.