The Space Between Us: A Novel (P.S.)

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.

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

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

"The Space Between" this and other bestselling novels...... , 2008-08-29
The Space Between Us is quite an ambitious novel. The universal themes of gender roles, identity, class struggles, poverty, family bonds and love are pervasive, but it is written so eloquently and with such dynamic force that it supercedes the vast majority of bestselling fiction on bookstore shelves today.

This characters and circumstances of this novel could take place in any time and place throughout history, which is what makes it so relatable. The fact that the author chose to set it in Bombay only adds to its appealability, in my opinion. Learning of the customs and pasttimes of the people if India added another layer of fascination, yet these could have been people you all know and love.

What was most brilliant about this novel was the quiet, subtle way the story unfolded, as opposed to it being thrust upon the reader from page one. You will inevitably become so immersed in the characters' stories, you'll be shocked at the way their lives unfold.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. The author is a briliant and magical storyteller and I look forward to reading anything and everything she writes!


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

My New Favorite Novelist, 2008-08-12
After reading this book, I was hungry for more Umrigar; she's an amazing storyteller! This novel was a compelling read. I've recommended it to friends and family who now concur that it's a great book. I loved the relationship between Bhima and Sera, and my heart broke for Bhima as she tried tirelessly to help her pregnant granddaughter Maya. An overall great read!


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

A Touching Story, 2008-07-22
Umrigar's writing is extremely vivid and captivating that as a reader you feel as though you are in the story. Sometimes I found myself forgetting that I was actually reading. The story is very touching and realistic, revealing the horrors of class disparity. I high recommend this book!


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Loved it right up until the last 10 pages, 2008-07-02
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


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

A story of universal themes, 2008-06-09
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 have wisely done, I will withhold details of the story. To expose major elements of the plot would ruin the novel for prospective readers. (I wish that there was a "spoiler's corner" where people who have read the novel could discuss aspects of the story) However, Umrigar has magnificently dealt with numerous women's issues; the degradation and abuse of women, both rich and poor while also writing an engaging tale of fate and loss; tragedy; poverty; and the fate of those who lack an education. There is also a lot of the inhumanity of one person to another.

There are few redeeming male characters in the book and the "have's" live in a whole totally separate and apart from the "have not's". The book demonstsrates the strong influence of religion and tradition and how it takes generations for some aspects of society to change and finally forget engrained prejudices.

But through it all there is the ever forgiving Bhima. Her tragic characters is the central theme of the story. One wonders if she had been born in the same situation as her mistress Sera, would things have been different.

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