Honor

Honor

Thrity Umrigar

 5 Stars

 

 

 

A deeply emotional story centered on the cultural mores, inequalities, class system, religions, family expectation and desperate means necessary to survive in Mumbai.
Through the eyes of Meena and Smita, two very different but remarkable women you see the horrific poverty, acts of violence, and hatred between Hindus and Muslims. 


When Smita is sent as a journalist to relay the violent crime suffered by Meena at the hands of her brothers, she is unprepared for how she will be transformed. As this complex book unfolds, you learn the background of Smita and why she has distanced herself, physically and emotionally from the country of her birth.


But in the end, who really saved whom? 


“It seemed to Smita that the history of the world was written in female blood.”


I know this is the story of two women, but Abdul, Meena’s husband and Mohan, the new friend of Smita gave wonderful balance to this difficult, sad story. Both men showed tenderness, patience and a gentle spirit that was a wonderful counterpoint to how it appeared to be.

As India is the country of my birth, but has not been visited extensively, it is with the eyes of an almost stranger that I viewed it. References to the status of residents in Colaba, the propriety expected at the Taj Mahal Hotel, the cool darkness of the Eliphanta Caves came back to me as vague memories. But alongside this resides the bribery, cruelty, and unfairness that persists. Bombay (Mumbai) is a mix of so many divergent feelings of belonging or disdain. 


This was not an easy book to read, it will bring tears at the realization that Honor is not a one-off, but speaks to the circumstance of women in many parts of the world. But it is also a book, which gives hope for a better future, for deeper understanding of others and for the belief that we each have a part to better humanity.


“Because a woman can live in one of two houses – fear or love. It’s impossible to live in both at the same time.”


#Honor stays with me, for its fragility and also for its strength, and I strongly recommend it. #ThrityUmrigar has a voice that needs to be heard.


Thank you to #AlgonquinBooks and #NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Spring is coming in our northern hemisphere, choose this book soon to read on your balcony.

Reading to learn, 


 

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