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.

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

Customer Rating:
Summary: Insightful
Comment: This book is so enlightening. It delves into the REAL worlds of two Indian woman from different backgrounds. They form an unforgettable bond.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Comment: This book gave the reader great insight into the culture of India through its realistic characters and wonderful story. The main characters were so well-developed that I felt as if they were my close friends. Also the book was beautifully sritten, with so many poetic passages that I just wanted to read out loud to someone else.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Realistic
Comment: This is a realistic portrayal of the life on an Indian maid..many times they lead this kind of life..the caste discrimination is nicely portrayed. I have seen these things happen..also good references to honor and culture

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Customer Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down
Comment: I liked this book very much because it gave me insight into the culture of India. I wish the book had been longer. I loved it. Very indepth with respect to the feelings of the characters.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: well written
Comment: The author's style takes the reader to a world far different than the one most people would know. Her abilty to shape characters and describe their surroundings creates empathy for the struggles people endure in other cultures. However, the ending of the story felt weak in comparison to the emotional heights and depths throughout this complex tale. I felt cheated at the end-as if the author couldn't quite figure out how to bring the story to a conclusion so she just stopped writing.

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