Available:*
Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 35000000005096 | PS3621.M75 S76 2014 | Open Access Book | Creative Book | Searching... |
Searching... | 30000010337006 | PS3621.M75 S76 2014 | Open Access Book | Creative Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
From Thrity Umrigar, the critically beloved, best-selling author of The World We Found and The Space Between Us comes a profound, heartbreakingly honest novel about the beauty of forgiveness. As a dedicated and seasoned practitioner, psychologist Maggie prides herself on her ability to remain professionally detached from her patients. But when a young Indian woman ends up at her hospital after a suicide attempt, Maggie finds herself ignoring all the rules. Lakshmi, who left all her family behind when she immigrated to America, is desperately lonely and trapped in a loveless marriage, her life circumscribed by the walls of her husband's small Indian restaurant and grocery store. Ending her life feels like the only way out of her misery. Deeply affected by Lakshmi's loneliness and disturbed by her domineering husband, Maggie impulsively offers to treat her as an out-patient free of charge. However, when the sessions begin in Maggie's home office it's apparent that Lakshmi doesn't really need a doctor; she needs a friend. Maggie abandons protocol, determined to empower Lakshmi as a woman who feels valued in her own right, and the two develop a powerful relationship that is full of affection but also warped by conflicting expectations. Blossoming, on the road to healing her marriage, Lakshmi finally shares the reason for her departure from India - and inadvertently discovers that Maggie has a dark secret of her own. These revelations jeopardize everything they have worked so hard to build, forcing them to confront some extremely difficult choices. This jewel of a novel once again demonstrates that few writers capture the complexities, challenges, and rewards of love - both platonic and romantic - like Thrity Umrigar. In an achingly human story about our capacity for faith, forgiveness, and hope, she allows us to celebrate the power of second chances.
Author Notes
Thrity Umrigar is an Indian-American writer, who was born in Mumbai. She received her Bachelors of Science from Bombay University. She immigrated to the United States when she was 21.She then went on to earn her M.A. From Ohio State and her Phd from Kent State University. She is a journalist and the author of the novels Bombay Time, The Space Between Us and The Weight of Heaven. She has written for the Washington Post, Cleveland Plain Dealer, among other newspapers, and regularly writes for The Boston Globe 's book pages. She is currently assistant professor of English at Case Western Reserve University where she teaches creative writing and literature. She was a winner of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard University. She has a Ph.D. in English and lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Her title Space Between Us made The New York Times Best Seller List for 2011.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews 1
Library Journal Review
Lakshmi, an immigrant Indian woman in a loveless marriage, tries to kill herself. In the aftermath, her therapist, Maggie, bends the rules of medical practice to be a friend to her patient. She helps Lakshmi start her own catering and housecleaning business and address issues with her husband. Lakshmi slowly reveals her life by telling stories to Maggie, who is not always sympathetic to the pressures of Indian culture. When Lakshmi discovers that her therapist is having an affair, the consequence of her impulsive response reverberate through the women's lives. Umrigar (Bombay Time) beautifully captures the lyric cadence of her Indian characters' speech and carefully crafts these individuals to show both strengths and flaws. The work is skillfully read by Sneha Mathan. VERDICT Recommended for listeners who enjoy tales of women's lives. ["This satisfying, psychologically complex story will appeal to a wide range of readers," read the starred review of the Harper hc, LJ 7/14.] Joanna Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Libs., Providence (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
