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The Space Between Us: A Novel (P.S.)
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780060791568
ISBN: 006079156X
Label: Harper Perennial
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: February 01, 2007
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Release Date: February 06, 2007
Studio: Harper Perennial
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Editorial Review:
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
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.
"
Each morning, Bhima, a domestic servant in contemporary Bombay, leaves her own small shanty in the slums to tend to another woman's house. In Sera Dubash's home, Bhima scrubs the floors of a house in which she remains an outsider. She cleans furniture she is not permitted to sit on. She washes glasses from which she is not allowed to drink. Yet despite being separated from each other by blood and class, she and Sera find themselves bound by gender and shared life experiences.
Sera is an upper-middle-class Parsi housewife whose opulent surroundings hide the shame and disappointment of her abusive marriage. A widow, she devotes herself to her family, spending much of her time caring for her pregnant daughter, Dinaz, a kindhearted, educated professional, and her charming and successful son-in-law, Viraf.
Bhima, a stoic illiterate hardened by a life of despair and loss, has worked in the Dubash household for more than twenty years. Cursed by fate, she sacrifices all for her beautiful, headstrong granddaughter, Maya, a university student whose education -- paid for by Sera -- will enable them to escape the slums. But when an unwed Maya becomes pregnant by a man whose identity she refuses to reveal, Bhima's dreams of a better life for her granddaughter, as well as for herself, may be shattered forever.
Poignant and compelling, evocative and unforgettable, The Space Between Us is an intimate portrait of a distant yet familiar world. Set in modern-day India and witnessed through two compelling and achingly real women, the novel shows how the lives of the rich and the poor are intrinsically connected yet vastly removed from each other, and vividly captures how the bonds of womanhood are pitted against the divisions of class and culture.
"
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Loved it right up until the last 10 pages
This is the first book by Thrity Umrigar and it took me a few tries to really get into it. I once I did, I could not put it down. I really loved the characters and the way that the author writes. I was excited to see how the book turned out, I was some what disappointed at the ending, asking myself "that's it?" I still recommend it, as it was an enjoyable read regardless
Rating: - A story of universal themes
Author Thrity Umrigar deals with many universal themes in her novel THE SPACE BETWEN. Although the story is set in contemporary India, it could realistically be set in many venues where the have's and the have not's exist in the employer/employee relationship. These characters and events could easily be transferrred to the American South for all of the 18th and 19th century and much of the 20th century with the mistress being a white woman and the servant being black.
As other reviewers ... Read More
Rating:  - Mumbai
This was the first book I read by Thrity Umrigar. Although I have been there on multiple occasions, it gave me insight into the life in Mumbai. It is a very easy and quick read. There are two more books by this author that I have read and enjoyed each one.
Rating: - Wonderful Storytelling......
I wasn't sure if I'd like this book when I ordered it, but since I know very little about India and the caste system, etc. I decided to give it a try.
I'm SO happy I did.
Beautifully written prose that just flows along and takes the reader to a culture so different from our own.
But beyond the excellent writing of the slums and Bombay, there is a poignant story of the relationship between two women. One from the upper middle class and the other, her servant.
I felt the story ... Read More
Rating: - Authentic... takes you there
I have read many novels set in India, many great, but not many that feel so authentic. This novel brings so much to life--the slums of India, the class system, juxtaposition/intermingling of wealth and poverty, and the complexity of life in a world where class is deeply rooted in religion, tradition, acceptance, etc. And it does it without resorting to what I consider "Bollywood" tactics--no weird coincidences, no savior appearing from nowhere, spontaneous dancing ;), etc.
There are many ... Read More
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