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The Story Hour
From the critically beloved, bestselling author of The World We Found and The Space Between Us, whom the New York Times Book Review calls a "perceptive and . . . piercing writer," comes a profound, heartbreakingly honest novel about friendship, family, secrets, forgiveness, and second chances
An experienced psychologist, Maggie carefully maintains emotional distance from her patients. But when she meets a young Indian woman who tried to kill herself, her professional detachment disintegrates. Cut off from her family in India, Lakshmi is desperately lonely and trapped in a loveless marriage to a domineering man who limits her world to their small restaurant and grocery store.
Moved by her plight, Maggie treats Lakshmi in her home office for free, quickly realizing that the despondent woman doesn't need a shrink; she needs a friend. Determined to empower Lakshmi as a woman who feels valued in her own right, Maggie abandons protocol, and soon doctor and patient have become close friends.
But while their relationship is deeply affectionate, it is also warped by conflicting expectations. When Maggie and Lakshmi open up and share long-buried secrets, the revelations will jeopardize their close bond, shake their faith in each other, and force them to confront painful choices.
An experienced psychologist, Maggie carefully maintains emotional distance from her patients. But when she meets a young Indian woman who tried to kill herself, her professional detachment disintegrates. Cut off from her family in India, Lakshmi is desperately lonely and trapped in a loveless marriage to a domineering man who limits her world to their small restaurant and grocery store.
Moved by her plight, Maggie treats Lakshmi in her home office for free, quickly realizing that the despondent woman doesn't need a shrink; she needs a friend. Determined to empower Lakshmi as a woman who feels valued in her own right, Maggie abandons protocol, and soon doctor and patient have become close friends.
But while their relationship is deeply affectionate, it is also warped by conflicting expectations. When Maggie and Lakshmi open up and share long-buried secrets, the revelations will jeopardize their close bond, shake their faith in each other, and force them to confront painful choices.
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First published August 1, 2014
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About the author
Thrity Umrigar
20 books2,907 followersA journalist for seventeen years, Thrity Umrigar has written for the Washington Post, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and other national newspapers, and contributes regularly to the Boston Globe's book pages. Thrity is the winner of the Cleveland Arts Prize, a Lambda Literary award and the Seth Rosenberg prize. She teaches creative writing and literature at Case Western Reserve University. The author of The Space Between Us, Bombay Time, and the memoir First Darling of the Morning: Selected Memories of an Indian Childhood, she was a winner of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard University. She has a Ph.D. in English and lives in Cleveland, Ohio. (from the publisher's website)"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,278 reviews
March 19, 2016
I was intrigued by the title of this book, The Story Hour. It reminded me of fairytales for adults. But Thrity Umrigar reveals far more. It is a composite of adults behaving as convoluted adults. And we pull up a chair and are in the mix of it.
Let me just say that, initially, I was so drawn in by this book. Some may find the dialect of one of the main characters, Lakshmi, to be off-putting and hard to follow. And there were a few areas of dryness. But stay with it. Oh, stay with it. Thrity Umrigar implements gender, culture, caste, norms, and the like into her story arc. We observe the rawness that makes us all so human.
Lakshmi is an immigrant from India who works tirelessly in her husband's restaurant and store. She is one of the shadow people whose pulse does not even register. It soon becomes too much for her and she attempts suicide. Lakshmi's case is assigned to Maggie Bose. Maggie is an African American psychologist who is married to an Indian professor. While Maggie makes attempts to keep her relationship with Lakshmi in a professional light, she soon is drawn into a friendship with Lakshmi.
Both women are complex and both women are chamberlains of deep, dark secrets. The story sheds light on the deceitfulness of their lives......some forced into the open and some revealed within the willingness of a soul seeking redemption. There is an unexpected commonality between these two in spite of their diverseness. And here is where Thrity Umrigar shines.
Some have questioned the open-ended conclusion of the book. And yet, our lives do reflect an on-going story that appears to never end....until we, ourselves, do in the finality of it all.
Let me just say that, initially, I was so drawn in by this book. Some may find the dialect of one of the main characters, Lakshmi, to be off-putting and hard to follow. And there were a few areas of dryness. But stay with it. Oh, stay with it. Thrity Umrigar implements gender, culture, caste, norms, and the like into her story arc. We observe the rawness that makes us all so human.
Lakshmi is an immigrant from India who works tirelessly in her husband's restaurant and store. She is one of the shadow people whose pulse does not even register. It soon becomes too much for her and she attempts suicide. Lakshmi's case is assigned to Maggie Bose. Maggie is an African American psychologist who is married to an Indian professor. While Maggie makes attempts to keep her relationship with Lakshmi in a professional light, she soon is drawn into a friendship with Lakshmi.
Both women are complex and both women are chamberlains of deep, dark secrets. The story sheds light on the deceitfulness of their lives......some forced into the open and some revealed within the willingness of a soul seeking redemption. There is an unexpected commonality between these two in spite of their diverseness. And here is where Thrity Umrigar shines.
Some have questioned the open-ended conclusion of the book. And yet, our lives do reflect an on-going story that appears to never end....until we, ourselves, do in the finality of it all.
August 12, 2014
As a psychiatric clinical social worker, I found this book somewhat disturbing. Ms. Umrigar appears to know what appropriate boundaries are for professionals in my discipline. However, she has her pivotal character, a psychologist by the name of Maggie Bose, go beyond what are acceptable boundaries by any standards. It felt as though Maggie was digging a hole so deep that she could not help but fall in.
Lakshmi Patil is a 32 year-old Indian woman who has come to this country after marrying a man who does not love her and she does not love. She is isolated from her family back home as her husband does not want her to have contact with them. Her English is poor and she works all the time in her husband's restaurant for no pay. Her husband is emotionally abusive to Lakshmi and his nickname for her is 'stupid'. Her best friend, in her eyes, is a regular customer in the restaurant named Bobby. When he leaves to go to California she is distraught and attempts suicide. Maggie is called in to the hospital to assist with Lakshmi's care.
Maggie connects with Lakshmi on several levels and decides to take her on as a private client pro bono. From there, boundaries get blurrier and blurrier until they become more like friends rather than psychologist and client. It made me flinch as I read about the breaking of boundaries and the problems of transference and counter-transference that occurred in therapy.
While I enjoyed the book as a good read, I did not like it as an indicator of my profession. Good professionals don't allow themselves to get into situations like Maggie does. They don't ask the blunt questions that Maggie asks upon meeting a new client. An example is that one of the first questions Maggie asks Lakshmi is, "Does your husband beat you?" This question is asked of course, but not out of the blue when a patient has not even indicated that she is willing to talk.
I am a fan of Thrity Umrigar and have read all of her books. This one lives up to her others in style and readability. However, it fails in content and does a disservice to psychologists and other therapists.
Lakshmi Patil is a 32 year-old Indian woman who has come to this country after marrying a man who does not love her and she does not love. She is isolated from her family back home as her husband does not want her to have contact with them. Her English is poor and she works all the time in her husband's restaurant for no pay. Her husband is emotionally abusive to Lakshmi and his nickname for her is 'stupid'. Her best friend, in her eyes, is a regular customer in the restaurant named Bobby. When he leaves to go to California she is distraught and attempts suicide. Maggie is called in to the hospital to assist with Lakshmi's care.
Maggie connects with Lakshmi on several levels and decides to take her on as a private client pro bono. From there, boundaries get blurrier and blurrier until they become more like friends rather than psychologist and client. It made me flinch as I read about the breaking of boundaries and the problems of transference and counter-transference that occurred in therapy.
While I enjoyed the book as a good read, I did not like it as an indicator of my profession. Good professionals don't allow themselves to get into situations like Maggie does. They don't ask the blunt questions that Maggie asks upon meeting a new client. An example is that one of the first questions Maggie asks Lakshmi is, "Does your husband beat you?" This question is asked of course, but not out of the blue when a patient has not even indicated that she is willing to talk.
I am a fan of Thrity Umrigar and have read all of her books. This one lives up to her others in style and readability. However, it fails in content and does a disservice to psychologists and other therapists.
November 10, 2014
4.5/5
I have always been fascinated by this intersection of gender and class--how the lives of women from the working class and the middle-class seemed at once so connected and so removed from each other. - Thrity Umrigar
The Story Hour is a compelling, close examination of the lives of two quite different women brought together under near tragic circumstances, whose progressive relationship forces them to reveal dark secrets and confront the flaws in themselves.
Lakshmi Patil, a dutiful eldest daughter who practically raises her motherless younger sister, has made a ritual of self sacrifice and unwavering responsibility, is challenged by the sham of a marriage that immerses her in a deep well of guilt, isolation and unhappiness. Relocated from India to a new life in America, Lakshmi clings to memories of her homeland, but her sense of who she is, is blurred. The overwhelming loneliness of being uprooted from her native home, alienated from family and commanded by her husband never to speak to them, laboring in their restaurant or stuck in their smelly room surrounded by solitude: Lakshmi is pushed to attempted suicide.
Maggie Bose, a self-assured, experienced psychologist, steadfastly keeps a professional distance from her patients, from "So much pain. So many secrets. She felt burdened by the weight of other people's secrets, their grief, their trust, their blinking anticipation, their eager faces, the hunger with which they looked at her, expecting answers, expecting cures, expecting miracles," but takes pity on, and befriends the young, uneducated Indian woman whom she sees as trapped in a dismal marriage to a dominating man.
As Lakshmi's and Maggie's relationship progresses, as the connective threads are inextricably sewn; detoxing, cathartic and introspective moments of confession that would normally bind more tightly a blossoming friendship, expose instead their shameful secrets and duplicity.
You build your 'temple of happy' on someone else's grave.
The Story Hour explores the fragility of a friendship shaking on a foundation of mistrust, misunderstandings, and the heartbreak that betrayal imparts; it seeks out the way to forgiveness, absolution, a second chance, that elusive miracle, hope.
Umrigar sensitive tale of an Indian woman's experience torn from her native home, of class and cultural differences and perspectives, pulsate off the pages with insight and deep emotion.
It wasn't difficult to be immediately pulled into the story from the very start, proving the remarkable, spellbinding gift of this storyteller to mesmerize her readers with her beautiful prose.
I had my first taste of Thrity Umrigar's exquisite writing years ago through her touching novel The Space Between Us, but not quite sure why it took so long to bridge the gap to her other novels. I'll be sure not to let the hours turn to years before reading more of her work.
I have always been fascinated by this intersection of gender and class--how the lives of women from the working class and the middle-class seemed at once so connected and so removed from each other. - Thrity Umrigar
The Story Hour is a compelling, close examination of the lives of two quite different women brought together under near tragic circumstances, whose progressive relationship forces them to reveal dark secrets and confront the flaws in themselves.
Lakshmi Patil, a dutiful eldest daughter who practically raises her motherless younger sister, has made a ritual of self sacrifice and unwavering responsibility, is challenged by the sham of a marriage that immerses her in a deep well of guilt, isolation and unhappiness. Relocated from India to a new life in America, Lakshmi clings to memories of her homeland, but her sense of who she is, is blurred. The overwhelming loneliness of being uprooted from her native home, alienated from family and commanded by her husband never to speak to them, laboring in their restaurant or stuck in their smelly room surrounded by solitude: Lakshmi is pushed to attempted suicide.
Maggie Bose, a self-assured, experienced psychologist, steadfastly keeps a professional distance from her patients, from "So much pain. So many secrets. She felt burdened by the weight of other people's secrets, their grief, their trust, their blinking anticipation, their eager faces, the hunger with which they looked at her, expecting answers, expecting cures, expecting miracles," but takes pity on, and befriends the young, uneducated Indian woman whom she sees as trapped in a dismal marriage to a dominating man.
As Lakshmi's and Maggie's relationship progresses, as the connective threads are inextricably sewn; detoxing, cathartic and introspective moments of confession that would normally bind more tightly a blossoming friendship, expose instead their shameful secrets and duplicity.
You build your 'temple of happy' on someone else's grave.
The Story Hour explores the fragility of a friendship shaking on a foundation of mistrust, misunderstandings, and the heartbreak that betrayal imparts; it seeks out the way to forgiveness, absolution, a second chance, that elusive miracle, hope.
Umrigar sensitive tale of an Indian woman's experience torn from her native home, of class and cultural differences and perspectives, pulsate off the pages with insight and deep emotion.
It wasn't difficult to be immediately pulled into the story from the very start, proving the remarkable, spellbinding gift of this storyteller to mesmerize her readers with her beautiful prose.
I had my first taste of Thrity Umrigar's exquisite writing years ago through her touching novel The Space Between Us, but not quite sure why it took so long to bridge the gap to her other novels. I'll be sure not to let the hours turn to years before reading more of her work.
July 7, 2020
Wow! What an amazing story! A new book to add to my "Favorites" bookshelf! Thrity Umrigar is one powerful storyteller! She had my attention and emotions invested throughout. A believable story with profound interactions between the characters. I had an intense affinity to these characters, especially Lakshmi. I couldn't wait to get back to this story when I had to pull away from it. I loved the ending! If you prefer audiobooks, then I highly suggest that you take a listen to this one! Sneha Mathan's interchangeable use of voices is incredible! Highly recommend!
January 5, 2016
Stopped 2/3 in-- I realized I care nothing for these characters. Not only do I not care but I've learned very little about them. There's hardly any character development. It started off fairly interesting in that a therapist began treating an Indian woman who has been living in the states for six years. This therapist, Maggie, is African-American and married to an Indian man. She's also having a dispassionate affair with a white guy. She loves her husband yet keeps hooking up with this guy. She can't explain why and she's a therapist. Lakshmi and Maggie become friends but Lakshmi isn't educated and her husband's controlling. The author just didn't progress it enough. I didn't like either woman and I didn't dislike either woman enough to care what became of them. Because characters can be unlikeable and if the story and writing is there I'm in.
September 30, 2015
This was a really good read. More so about forgiveness than about anything else. Maggie and Lakshmi are culturally different. Both are married to Indian men, but Lakshmi is from India and Maggie is African American. After a failed suicide attempt, Lakshmi is sent to the University hospital and Maggie is assigned as her doctor. From there, an uncommon friendship begins.
I don't get how people don't realize that no two people are alike. Maggie is assigned to Lakshmi simply because she is married to an Indian man. As if that makes them the same. Their husbands are as similar as night and day. Therefore their experiences are different as well.
Lakshmi is hesitant with Maggie. Her husband has taught her to Never Trust the Blacks. And is even insulted when she is informed that Maggie is married to an Indian. But that common interest is what opens her up to Maggie. With Maggie's help, she becomes and open and free individual. She eventually starts her own business and her marriage begins to improve. I like Lakshmi. She really needed a friend in order to blossom into the woman that she was meant to be. Her husband I did not approve of in the beginning. But considering how their marriage came to be, I can understand his hostility.
Maggie is a Psychologist, however, her life is a mess. Having been emotionally abused by her father, she is carrying on in a relationship with Peter, an old acquaintance. Maggie annoyed me. I can't believe that she is a shrink, but can't fix her own life. Sudhir is a wonderful husband, but she takes him for granted. When it comes to Lakshmi, she is clueless. She treats her as if she is talking to an American girlfriend and not an immigrant. Not that immigrants can't adapt to a new culture, but Lakshmi has been sheltered by her husband and doesn't know much of American independence. She doesn't even know the law and what she is entitled to.
I really wanted Maggie to have compassion for Lakshmi. You would think that having Indian relatives would make her understanding of cultural differences, but as I said before, she was clueless.
Lakshmi is the star of this novel. She is smarter than Maggie and Sudhir with all of their education. I will have to check out the other titles by this author.
I don't get how people don't realize that no two people are alike. Maggie is assigned to Lakshmi simply because she is married to an Indian man. As if that makes them the same. Their husbands are as similar as night and day. Therefore their experiences are different as well.
Lakshmi is hesitant with Maggie. Her husband has taught her to Never Trust the Blacks. And is even insulted when she is informed that Maggie is married to an Indian. But that common interest is what opens her up to Maggie. With Maggie's help, she becomes and open and free individual. She eventually starts her own business and her marriage begins to improve. I like Lakshmi. She really needed a friend in order to blossom into the woman that she was meant to be. Her husband I did not approve of in the beginning. But considering how their marriage came to be, I can understand his hostility.
Maggie is a Psychologist, however, her life is a mess. Having been emotionally abused by her father, she is carrying on in a relationship with Peter, an old acquaintance. Maggie annoyed me. I can't believe that she is a shrink, but can't fix her own life. Sudhir is a wonderful husband, but she takes him for granted. When it comes to Lakshmi, she is clueless. She treats her as if she is talking to an American girlfriend and not an immigrant. Not that immigrants can't adapt to a new culture, but Lakshmi has been sheltered by her husband and doesn't know much of American independence. She doesn't even know the law and what she is entitled to.
I really wanted Maggie to have compassion for Lakshmi. You would think that having Indian relatives would make her understanding of cultural differences, but as I said before, she was clueless.
Lakshmi is the star of this novel. She is smarter than Maggie and Sudhir with all of their education. I will have to check out the other titles by this author.
August 24, 2014
In her novel The Story Hour Thrity Umrigar weaves two women's stories together: one of them, a sad, engaging story of Lakshmi, a lower-caste Indian woman who is forced to marry a man she doesn't love and emigrate to the US. This story (despite Lakshmi's broken-English first-person narration, annoying at first, but develops a rhythm as the novel progresses) is by far the best of the two. The other story, of Lakshmi's clinical psychologist Maggie Bose, is hackneyed, over-familiar, and by the novel's end, completely annoying.
Ms. Umrigar, with ill-advised sleight-of-hand, morphs her solid immigrant story into a run-of-the-mill marital dissatisfaction tale that might (I suppose) please Jhumpa Lahiri fans (I'm not one), but makes me want to go back and re-read Mira Jacob's refreshingly original (compared to this, anyway) multi-generational Indian immigrant novel The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing and forget I read this.
December 17, 2019
Lakshmi Patil is an immigrant with an angry, unloving husband and no family or friends. In her abject loneliness she decides to commit suicide. Maggie Bose is a trained psychologist who is asked to see Lakshmi in the hospital. Something about the woman touches Maggie’s heart and she agrees to provide therapy without cost. The lines become blurred as their relationship less professional and more friendly. Both women are hiding significant secrets – from themselves, from each other, from their spouses, friends and family.
Umrigar alternates viewpoints between these two women. Lakshmi’s chapters are written in a broken English that was at first off-putting, but which I came to appreciate for how clearly that voice represented her. The reader gets a true sense of her loneliness, confusion, difficulties in understanding this language and culture so different from her native land, and the progress she makes. In contrast, Maggie’s chapters show her education, social position, and training as a psychologist. And yet, for all her ability to see the possible stories and motivations behind the actions and words of her patient/friend (or other people she comes into contact with), she seems blind to her own motivations.
I was completely engaged from page one through all the ups and downs of the story. I was anxious about how things would work out, sympathized with them when feelings were hurt, felt anger at some situations, and eagerly hoped for a resolution.
I’m glad that Umrigar left the ending somewhat ambiguous, but I have hope that these characters will find their way to understanding and forgiveness.
Umrigar alternates viewpoints between these two women. Lakshmi’s chapters are written in a broken English that was at first off-putting, but which I came to appreciate for how clearly that voice represented her. The reader gets a true sense of her loneliness, confusion, difficulties in understanding this language and culture so different from her native land, and the progress she makes. In contrast, Maggie’s chapters show her education, social position, and training as a psychologist. And yet, for all her ability to see the possible stories and motivations behind the actions and words of her patient/friend (or other people she comes into contact with), she seems blind to her own motivations.
I was completely engaged from page one through all the ups and downs of the story. I was anxious about how things would work out, sympathized with them when feelings were hurt, felt anger at some situations, and eagerly hoped for a resolution.
I’m glad that Umrigar left the ending somewhat ambiguous, but I have hope that these characters will find their way to understanding and forgiveness.
June 6, 2021
An interesting story from one of my favorite authors, about the complicated relationship between two women: one an isolated, smart yet poorly educated Indian woman in a loveless marriage living in a small American town, and who, after attempting suicide, connects with a successful, affluent, happily married Black therapist. Their relationship crosses the therapist/patient boundary, and they eventually become friends. Both have secrets, that when revealed, not only upend their friendship, but their lives as well, as we see that things really aren’t what they appear to be on the surface. I loved the end of the book, as an attempt is made at reconciliation and redemption, but the author leaves it open ended, leaving it up to the reader to discern how the story of these two characters might eventually play out.
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October 7, 2015Another beautifully-written book from Thrity Umrigar. Lovely prose, authentic characters, and a heart-moving story.
April 10, 2017
2.5 stars rounded up. This is another review I thought I'd already written but then found nothing in this space, soooo...
I didn't love this but it was a smidgey-bit more than ok.
The story behind the story is pretty neat: Lakshmi comes to America after some family strife back in India and hopes for a better life but finds she's caught in an unhappy marriage and feels excessively lonely. She tries to kill herself. As a result, Maggie is assigned to her for therapy because Maggie has insight to Indians due to her husband hailing from that very country. Maggie, who maintains a professional distance from her clients, finds herself being drawn to Lakshmi, partially because Maggie, too, is dissatisfied with her marriage or, more accurately, bored, though also partially because Lakshmi is a clingy stalker. However, their expectations of friendship combined with cultural differences lead to misunderstandings and problems that they may or may not be willing or able to overcome.
I love female friendship stories so I figured this would be right up my alley. However, Maggie is such an unlikeable character. She should be likeable, the flawed person who is trying her best, yet I couldn't connect with her because she's a twit; she makes assumptions and takes things for granted when she knows better and KNOWS she knows better and then feels some guilt for her behavior but then just slides back into being judgmental and self-serving which is weird, considering her long-time profession as a therapist. She’s surrounded by overly-likeable characters such as Lakshmi, her husband, and even Peter who is horrid but still interesting.
In contrast, the perfection of both Lakshmi and Maggie's husband is excessive. They’re too perfect, too wonderful. Even Lakshmi’s unloving husband earns sympathy. It’s as if the Indian culture, terrible as it can be, only produces good people whereas the American culture, touted to be so wonderful, produces assholes, at least according to this story. Maybe. I was also put off by the stereotype that black women, in this case, Maggie, are, first and foremost, sexual creatures in that sex is the prime motivation that overrides all other impulses and beliefs.
This whole story moves from women helping and empowering one another, breaking down social boundaries (though, does it really? Or is Lakshmi just a pet for Maggie and her husband?) to The Evil Things Women Do To Their Husbands When Looking For Love (In All the Wrong Places). Too much self-sacrifice on Lakshmi’s part and none at all on Maggie’s.
If infidelity is an issue you won't read about, steer clear of this book. If a woman being all self-destructive and not being able to pull her shit together despite being 56-years-old and a licensed professional seems bothersome, don't read this book. If you don't like abrupt endings with no conclusions, don't read this book.
If none of those things bother you, read this book. You may like it. Or listen to it, as I felt the audiobook had a great reader.
I didn't love this but it was a smidgey-bit more than ok.
The story behind the story is pretty neat: Lakshmi comes to America after some family strife back in India and hopes for a better life but finds she's caught in an unhappy marriage and feels excessively lonely. She tries to kill herself. As a result, Maggie is assigned to her for therapy because Maggie has insight to Indians due to her husband hailing from that very country. Maggie, who maintains a professional distance from her clients, finds herself being drawn to Lakshmi, partially because Maggie, too, is dissatisfied with her marriage or, more accurately, bored, though also partially because Lakshmi is a clingy stalker. However, their expectations of friendship combined with cultural differences lead to misunderstandings and problems that they may or may not be willing or able to overcome.
I love female friendship stories so I figured this would be right up my alley. However, Maggie is such an unlikeable character. She should be likeable, the flawed person who is trying her best, yet I couldn't connect with her because she's a twit; she makes assumptions and takes things for granted when she knows better and KNOWS she knows better and then feels some guilt for her behavior but then just slides back into being judgmental and self-serving which is weird, considering her long-time profession as a therapist. She’s surrounded by overly-likeable characters such as Lakshmi, her husband, and even Peter who is horrid but still interesting.
In contrast, the perfection of both Lakshmi and Maggie's husband is excessive. They’re too perfect, too wonderful. Even Lakshmi’s unloving husband earns sympathy. It’s as if the Indian culture, terrible as it can be, only produces good people whereas the American culture, touted to be so wonderful, produces assholes, at least according to this story. Maybe. I was also put off by the stereotype that black women, in this case, Maggie, are, first and foremost, sexual creatures in that sex is the prime motivation that overrides all other impulses and beliefs.
This whole story moves from women helping and empowering one another, breaking down social boundaries (though, does it really? Or is Lakshmi just a pet for Maggie and her husband?) to The Evil Things Women Do To Their Husbands When Looking For Love (In All the Wrong Places). Too much self-sacrifice on Lakshmi’s part and none at all on Maggie’s.
If infidelity is an issue you won't read about, steer clear of this book. If a woman being all self-destructive and not being able to pull her shit together despite being 56-years-old and a licensed professional seems bothersome, don't read this book. If you don't like abrupt endings with no conclusions, don't read this book.
If none of those things bother you, read this book. You may like it. Or listen to it, as I felt the audiobook had a great reader.
December 1, 2014
While interesting and at times moving, this book was so problematic that I can't bring myself to rate it more highly. My two main criticisms were a disbelief in the authenticity of Lakshmi's narrative voice,, and the profoundly irresponsible and disturbing messages about professional therapy.
Lakshmi's broken English and creative nuances in storytelling were charming, but I simply didn't believe in her grammar and syntax. I also was baffled that she spoke to her husband in this same strange dialect -- did I miss that they didn't speak the same native language? Because if they did speak the same native language, Lakshmi would have been able to communicate with her husband fully and effectively. The author could have solved the problem of translation by using italics to show when Lakshmi was speaking in her native language.
More significantly, the author's dismissiveness of the impact of Maggie's professional misconduct was a disservice to readers who might be dissuaded from seeking therapy. Maggie's ethical breaches were so concerning that she should have lost her professional license (and probably would have in the real world), as her social relationship with Lakshmi did not appear to be particularly secretive. I was especially bewildered by Maggie's perception of herself as a "victim" in the relationship with Lakshmi -- as if she had been betrayed -- rather than the reality that she had betrayed her client.
Lakshmi's broken English and creative nuances in storytelling were charming, but I simply didn't believe in her grammar and syntax. I also was baffled that she spoke to her husband in this same strange dialect -- did I miss that they didn't speak the same native language? Because if they did speak the same native language, Lakshmi would have been able to communicate with her husband fully and effectively. The author could have solved the problem of translation by using italics to show when Lakshmi was speaking in her native language.
More significantly, the author's dismissiveness of the impact of Maggie's professional misconduct was a disservice to readers who might be dissuaded from seeking therapy. Maggie's ethical breaches were so concerning that she should have lost her professional license (and probably would have in the real world), as her social relationship with Lakshmi did not appear to be particularly secretive. I was especially bewildered by Maggie's perception of herself as a "victim" in the relationship with Lakshmi -- as if she had been betrayed -- rather than the reality that she had betrayed her client.
April 5, 2022
This is such beautifully written book about a young Indian woman assimilating into NY American culture.
The characters were amazing! Especially the lead Indian American woman - an immigrant - how she adapted and assimilated and fought.
The writing and prose tugged on every emotion. It was so beautifully done.
This author 💗💗💗💗
The characters were amazing! Especially the lead Indian American woman - an immigrant - how she adapted and assimilated and fought.
The writing and prose tugged on every emotion. It was so beautifully done.
This author 💗💗💗💗
June 2, 2014
Another great book by this amazing author, this one is the story of Lakshmi, an Indian immigrant, whose marital misery and homesickness overwhelm her. After a suicide attempt, Lakshmi is counseled by Maggie, an American woman married to an Indian man. While Maggie first feels that she is only helping Lakshmi, when her own marriage faces challenges, Maggie finds her relationship with Lakshmi more important to her than she realized.
My one reservation with the style of this book was the authors' decision to put Lakshmi's first person internal narrative in a sort of recreation of an Indian immigrant's heavily accented English. Obviously, Lakshmi spoke to her parents and sister in their native language, not clumsy English. And her own thoughts would not be in a language she struggles with. The recreated dialect seems disrespectful to me, as if Lakshmi's limited English mirrors a limited understanding.
My one reservation with the style of this book was the authors' decision to put Lakshmi's first person internal narrative in a sort of recreation of an Indian immigrant's heavily accented English. Obviously, Lakshmi spoke to her parents and sister in their native language, not clumsy English. And her own thoughts would not be in a language she struggles with. The recreated dialect seems disrespectful to me, as if Lakshmi's limited English mirrors a limited understanding.
December 6, 2017
Onvan : The Story Hour - Nevisande : Thrity Umrigar - ISBN : 006225930X - ISBN13 : 9780062259301 - Dar 336 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2014
February 24, 2016
4.5 Stars! (Wonderfully whispersynced)
Thrity Umrigar states she woke up one morning and decided to allow the characters of two separate short stories to "meet ". Fascinating, right?
This story cuts to the core of anyone who has ever had to maintain the rules of professional objectivity while dealing with another person who cannot fathom the logic of these rules.
This story reminded me of a snowball rolling down a snow covered mountain. It begins quite small, however get bigger, fatter, and fuller as it rolls along, picking up luscious snow, brittle twigs, and spiteful dirt along the way. And just when I think it's going to crash into me, it gets caught on a boulder (much bigger than itself ) and stops! It ends. I'm standing there and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Enough from me. Here is the gist in the author's elegant words:
"but in a sense, every hour of our lives is a story hour. As human beings, we think, dream, and communicate in narrative. Our stories are what define us and individualize us. Without our stories we are anonymous, faceless, a row of empty suits, hanging from a rack. It is our stories that make us irreducible, defiantly, and incessantly human."
Thrity Umrigar states she woke up one morning and decided to allow the characters of two separate short stories to "meet ". Fascinating, right?
This story cuts to the core of anyone who has ever had to maintain the rules of professional objectivity while dealing with another person who cannot fathom the logic of these rules.
This story reminded me of a snowball rolling down a snow covered mountain. It begins quite small, however get bigger, fatter, and fuller as it rolls along, picking up luscious snow, brittle twigs, and spiteful dirt along the way. And just when I think it's going to crash into me, it gets caught on a boulder (much bigger than itself ) and stops! It ends. I'm standing there and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Enough from me. Here is the gist in the author's elegant words:
"but in a sense, every hour of our lives is a story hour. As human beings, we think, dream, and communicate in narrative. Our stories are what define us and individualize us. Without our stories we are anonymous, faceless, a row of empty suits, hanging from a rack. It is our stories that make us irreducible, defiantly, and incessantly human."
September 29, 2015
The Story Hour is a compelling story of two women: Maggie, an African American psychiatrist and Lakshmi, an Indian woman who lives in America. Each woman has secrets and through flashbacks reveals them in a timely fashion. This beautifully written tale is about love, friendship and mostly forgiveness. The many twists and turns in this story kept me engaged until the last page. I very much enjoyed the characters, especially Lakshmi as her role evolved in this story. It ends abruptly but on a hopeful tone.
The reader is immersed in cultures, food, friendships, tradition and determination.
The Story Hour would be a perfect book club choice. It is a powerful book that will stay in my thoughts for a long time.
October 19, 2014
I was loving the audiobook so much that I couldn't read it fast enough so I had to switch to the print edition. Thrity Umrigar is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. She is just so darn good at developing authentic and memorable characters. The protagonist in this story, Lakshmi, seems so real to me that I can picture her in this room with me. Thanks to a wonderful audiobook narration by Sneha Mathan, I can hear her voice.
This is the story of a poor immigrant woman from India who tries to commit suicide. She is helped and then becomes friends with her therapist (although that goes against ethical standards for the doctor/patient relationship). Maggie, the therapist, struggles with her own demons and as the story unfolds we are treated to examination of how, in our humanity, we screw up our lives so magnificently. Umrigar shows us how this tendency to get it "all wrong" is no respecter of class, wealth, educational attainment, sex, or race......there is plenty of opportunity for all and sometimes the most wisdom comes from the least likely sources. Overwhelmingly, the theme is forgiveness, forgiving ourselves as much as those who cannot help but disappoint us. Umrigar writes women's fiction at it's very best. She leaves you with a tear in the eye and optimism about the future.
This is the story of a poor immigrant woman from India who tries to commit suicide. She is helped and then becomes friends with her therapist (although that goes against ethical standards for the doctor/patient relationship). Maggie, the therapist, struggles with her own demons and as the story unfolds we are treated to examination of how, in our humanity, we screw up our lives so magnificently. Umrigar shows us how this tendency to get it "all wrong" is no respecter of class, wealth, educational attainment, sex, or race......there is plenty of opportunity for all and sometimes the most wisdom comes from the least likely sources. Overwhelmingly, the theme is forgiveness, forgiving ourselves as much as those who cannot help but disappoint us. Umrigar writes women's fiction at it's very best. She leaves you with a tear in the eye and optimism about the future.
January 9, 2020
I will read all of her work. This was brilliant.
December 16, 2022
Lakshmi is an immigrant from India. Faced with a loveless marriage, she attempts suicide, and finds herself under the care of psychologist Maggie. The professional relationship gradually becomes more of a friendship. Both are keeping secrets, which will eventually drive a wedge between them. Through the format of the one-hour session, Lakshmi relates her background in India, family, circumstances of her marriage, and how she arrived in America.
The story alternates in perspective between Lakshmi and Maggie. Lakshmi’s segments are told in a speaking dialect of broken English. At first the two women seem to have much in common, but the reader gradually realizes that their cultural backgrounds are so different that they have trouble understanding one another’s choices.
This story kept my attention throughout. The author does a great job of portraying each woman’s character and feelings through their actions and responses. I appreciate an ending that allows each reader to come up with an interpretation of what happens next.
The story alternates in perspective between Lakshmi and Maggie. Lakshmi’s segments are told in a speaking dialect of broken English. At first the two women seem to have much in common, but the reader gradually realizes that their cultural backgrounds are so different that they have trouble understanding one another’s choices.
This story kept my attention throughout. The author does a great job of portraying each woman’s character and feelings through their actions and responses. I appreciate an ending that allows each reader to come up with an interpretation of what happens next.
September 4, 2014
Title...the Story Hour
Author...Thrity Umrigar
My " in a nutshell" summary...
Lakshmi is sad and tries to kill herself. She meets Maggie as her therapist but they become friends...sort of.
My thoughts after reading this book...
This book was filled with Lakshmi's stories from India and her life there. She was so sad and didn't think she had love in her life and she really truly allowed Maggie to help her...just by being friends...and ultimately as she began believing in herself and changing her life...she ultimately helped Maggie!
What I loved about this book...
I enjoyed the way these two women began their friendship.
What I did not love about this book...
For some reason I did not like Maggie. Well...Maggie's adulterous affair with Peter was one reason why I wasn't that crazy about her...especially when she had a lovely husband at home. And she was mean to Lakshmi sometimes when I thought she should have been kind...more kind. And also Lakshmi's stories...why do I always choose these books with so many stories in them...sigh.
Final thoughts...
I found this book to be just ok for me...I was not drawn to the stories or the characters strongly.
Author...Thrity Umrigar
My " in a nutshell" summary...
Lakshmi is sad and tries to kill herself. She meets Maggie as her therapist but they become friends...sort of.
My thoughts after reading this book...
This book was filled with Lakshmi's stories from India and her life there. She was so sad and didn't think she had love in her life and she really truly allowed Maggie to help her...just by being friends...and ultimately as she began believing in herself and changing her life...she ultimately helped Maggie!
What I loved about this book...
I enjoyed the way these two women began their friendship.
What I did not love about this book...
For some reason I did not like Maggie. Well...Maggie's adulterous affair with Peter was one reason why I wasn't that crazy about her...especially when she had a lovely husband at home. And she was mean to Lakshmi sometimes when I thought she should have been kind...more kind. And also Lakshmi's stories...why do I always choose these books with so many stories in them...sigh.
Final thoughts...
I found this book to be just ok for me...I was not drawn to the stories or the characters strongly.
October 16, 2014
At first I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this novel and then "Bam!" I couldn't put the book down. And the ending...
I always love reading books that delve into cultural and generational themes, as in "The Space Between Us;" which is one of my faves by this author. The parallel lives of the characters, which I thought would be predictable, was an interesting twist. By the last page you hope for the ideologies that make us uniquely human: love and forgiveness.
I always love reading books that delve into cultural and generational themes, as in "The Space Between Us;" which is one of my faves by this author. The parallel lives of the characters, which I thought would be predictable, was an interesting twist. By the last page you hope for the ideologies that make us uniquely human: love and forgiveness.
October 28, 2014
I wasn't really into this book from the beginning but because others had read it who rated it highly and I usually like the same books as them I persevered and continued. With so many books on my tbr list I'm sorry I did because I really didn't enjoy it at all and am pleased that it's over. I didn't like the narrative style, I didn't care for the characters and was confused by the way the author chose to end it. Onto the next....
July 29, 2014
Lakshmi has been living with her unloving husband of 6 years in America, with no contact with her father or sister in India. Through a failed suicide attempt she meets Maggie, am African-American psychologist married to an Indian man. At first Lakshmi is afraid of Maggie because her husband has told her that black people are dangerous but seeing the kindness in Maggie's eyes, Lakshmi realizes her husband is wrong. Through Maggie's treatment and friendship, Lakshmi begins to live a life of her own and is even happy.
Maggie is happily married yet having an affair that even she can't explain. When the affair comes to light, her marriage ends and so does her friendship and treatment of Lakshmi, who she blames for the divorce.
The reasons I am giving this book 3 stars are as follows:
1. The story itself wasn't terribly interesting.
2. The writing wasn't great. It felt sloppy and unkempt.
3. The parts narrated by Lakshmi gave me a serious headache. Trying to read such grammatically incorrect chapters was difficult. I realize that Lakshmi doesn't speak perfect English and that this may be a very accurate portrayal of what she would speak like but still, it was painful.
4. I didn't like the Maggie character. She is painted at the beginning of the book as being sympathetic and caring and yet she never really seemed to be. She seemed to be impatient and ornery most of the time.
The best parts of the book were definitely when Lakshmi was describing life in India. The rest of it just wasn't very interesting.
Maggie is happily married yet having an affair that even she can't explain. When the affair comes to light, her marriage ends and so does her friendship and treatment of Lakshmi, who she blames for the divorce.
The reasons I am giving this book 3 stars are as follows:
1. The story itself wasn't terribly interesting.
2. The writing wasn't great. It felt sloppy and unkempt.
3. The parts narrated by Lakshmi gave me a serious headache. Trying to read such grammatically incorrect chapters was difficult. I realize that Lakshmi doesn't speak perfect English and that this may be a very accurate portrayal of what she would speak like but still, it was painful.
4. I didn't like the Maggie character. She is painted at the beginning of the book as being sympathetic and caring and yet she never really seemed to be. She seemed to be impatient and ornery most of the time.
The best parts of the book were definitely when Lakshmi was describing life in India. The rest of it just wasn't very interesting.
October 6, 2014
Though this is a really good book, it doesn't come close to the last book I read by this author : "The Space Between Us". Having said that, I have to add that the bar was set really high by that book, and I still enjoyed this book tremendously.
The story follows the lives of two women: one an African-American psychologist, and the other an East-Indian immigrant who is her patient after a suicide attempt. I love stories that contrast cultural backgrounds and particularly focus on the experience of newly arrived foreigners who are struggling to make sense of the USA. The story is complete fiction, but I can picture it happening in cities all over our country.
I was very annoyed to find an obvious mistake in the book, and I hate to be picayune, but I can't help but expect better proofreading or editing from any book published by a known company (Harper) and written by an author of multiple books.
Lakshmi has to take two buses to get to Maggie's house (she takes the bus from Chesterfield to downtown Cedarville and then a second one to the house) and this is a big deal because she hasn't previously used the bus system. But when Maggie drives Lakshmi home one night, it's only a ten minute drive. I know it's a minor quibble, but it does disturb the flow of a novel when the reader stops to say, "What the heck. . ?"
The story follows the lives of two women: one an African-American psychologist, and the other an East-Indian immigrant who is her patient after a suicide attempt. I love stories that contrast cultural backgrounds and particularly focus on the experience of newly arrived foreigners who are struggling to make sense of the USA. The story is complete fiction, but I can picture it happening in cities all over our country.
I was very annoyed to find an obvious mistake in the book, and I hate to be picayune, but I can't help but expect better proofreading or editing from any book published by a known company (Harper) and written by an author of multiple books.
Lakshmi has to take two buses to get to Maggie's house (she takes the bus from Chesterfield to downtown Cedarville and then a second one to the house) and this is a big deal because she hasn't previously used the bus system. But when Maggie drives Lakshmi home one night, it's only a ten minute drive. I know it's a minor quibble, but it does disturb the flow of a novel when the reader stops to say, "What the heck. . ?"
September 18, 2014
OH COME ON!!!!! how could it just end like that???
but it was good. SO GOOOD. The book was about two women, Maggie the therapist and an Indian woman, Lakshmi who tries to kill herself and Maggie ends up with her as a client. But soon it's clear that the two form a special bond but there's more. Maggie has her own things going on including infidelity and Lakshmi seems to be in a trapped marriage but as we observe their sessions and their individual lives everything gets complicated.
I loved this book. I love a book that's good just because a person can write but also good because you recognize yourself in characters and things happen that you didn't expect and you're led expertly as things build yet the story is simple. No showing off, nothing fancy just a good story. That's what Ms. Umrigar did for me. I am a sucker for stories featuring people from far away places, different cultures etc. I love to know about their food, language customs. It was a balance of everything but most of all emotions and heart, universal stuff. But there better be a follow up cuz I was totally left hangin'.
but it was good. SO GOOOD. The book was about two women, Maggie the therapist and an Indian woman, Lakshmi who tries to kill herself and Maggie ends up with her as a client. But soon it's clear that the two form a special bond but there's more. Maggie has her own things going on including infidelity and Lakshmi seems to be in a trapped marriage but as we observe their sessions and their individual lives everything gets complicated.
I loved this book. I love a book that's good just because a person can write but also good because you recognize yourself in characters and things happen that you didn't expect and you're led expertly as things build yet the story is simple. No showing off, nothing fancy just a good story. That's what Ms. Umrigar did for me. I am a sucker for stories featuring people from far away places, different cultures etc. I love to know about their food, language customs. It was a balance of everything but most of all emotions and heart, universal stuff. But there better be a follow up cuz I was totally left hangin'.
January 26, 2015
This was a 4 star book while i was caught up in it, but after I'd finished and mulled over the problems with it, it was more of a 3 star, so I'll give it 3.5
I heard the author on NPR and thought the story sounded intriguing. I understand the use of dialect, though I did find it somewhat annoying. Lakshmi would think fluently, not in broken English, but I do get that the author couldn't switch back and forth without jarring the reader and eventually I just accepted it. I liked her as a character and felt for her, she carries the story.
Maggie, on the other hand, it is difficult to understand, both her infidelity and her blurring of the lines between treating a patient and building a friendship. Her behavior is what left a sour taste in my mouth after the book was done.
I do plan to read more by this author though, I enjoyed her perspective and her use of language & imagery.
I heard the author on NPR and thought the story sounded intriguing. I understand the use of dialect, though I did find it somewhat annoying. Lakshmi would think fluently, not in broken English, but I do get that the author couldn't switch back and forth without jarring the reader and eventually I just accepted it. I liked her as a character and felt for her, she carries the story.
Maggie, on the other hand, it is difficult to understand, both her infidelity and her blurring of the lines between treating a patient and building a friendship. Her behavior is what left a sour taste in my mouth after the book was done.
I do plan to read more by this author though, I enjoyed her perspective and her use of language & imagery.
December 9, 2017
This book has it's share of ups and downs.
The Ups - Undoubtedly, it is beautifully written. Like most books written by other Indian - American authors, the story flows smoothly and it transports the reader into a different world. The characters are well formed and one can easily relate to them.
The Downs - The plot is all too familiar. An immigrant Indian woman finds herself lonely and struggling in America, a country as strange to her as her husband. The trials are again all too familiar as she cannot cope with the language and struggles to make new friends. Eventually she does find a good friend in her Councillor who is fighting her own demons.
Overall it was a good read, though it took me longer than expected to finish the book.
The Ups - Undoubtedly, it is beautifully written. Like most books written by other Indian - American authors, the story flows smoothly and it transports the reader into a different world. The characters are well formed and one can easily relate to them.
The Downs - The plot is all too familiar. An immigrant Indian woman finds herself lonely and struggling in America, a country as strange to her as her husband. The trials are again all too familiar as she cannot cope with the language and struggles to make new friends. Eventually she does find a good friend in her Councillor who is fighting her own demons.
Overall it was a good read, though it took me longer than expected to finish the book.
December 26, 2021
What a wonderful way to end a festive Christmas holiday - reading a good book. Thrity Umrigar has written another lyrical and memorable story with outstanding characters that are alive and take you right into their lives.
The first chapter with the broken English put me off for a few pages. Usually I hate to read dialect, but in this case it was used to clearly define Lakshmi. Made it easy to determine whose point of view was being expressed, which is not always the case!
I liked the reference to Bruce Springsteen, as his concert at Soldiers Field dramatically changed my life, too.
I was surprised to learn that the Indians are not fond of blacks, since many of them have skin color much darker than those of African heritage. Is it because they feel superior or Is it due to a cultural upbringing that affects all racism?
As always the story ends abruptly with the reader begging for “the rest of the story.” Her only sequel book was The Secrets between Us and it took her 15 years after The Space Between Us to continue her story of Bhima!!
I just have couple of books left to read by the author, ordered her memoir from ThriftBooks since my library doesn’t have it.
PS - Thanks, Emily for introducing me to Thrity❤️
The first chapter with the broken English put me off for a few pages. Usually I hate to read dialect, but in this case it was used to clearly define Lakshmi. Made it easy to determine whose point of view was being expressed, which is not always the case!
I liked the reference to Bruce Springsteen, as his concert at Soldiers Field dramatically changed my life, too.
I was surprised to learn that the Indians are not fond of blacks, since many of them have skin color much darker than those of African heritage. Is it because they feel superior or Is it due to a cultural upbringing that affects all racism?
As always the story ends abruptly with the reader begging for “the rest of the story.” Her only sequel book was The Secrets between Us and it took her 15 years after The Space Between Us to continue her story of Bhima!!
I just have couple of books left to read by the author, ordered her memoir from ThriftBooks since my library doesn’t have it.
PS - Thanks, Emily for introducing me to Thrity❤️
December 29, 2024
Thrity Umrigar has become one of my go-to authors. Her stories are always beautifully written, character-driven, and insightful.
In this one, Maggie is a black woman married to an Indian man who she loves deeply, but she is having an affair. She can’t explain to herself why. But she’s got some deep-seated daddy issues.
Lakshmi is an Indian woman forced to come to America with her new husband who doesn’t care about her at all. In fact, he regularly calls her stupid. He won’t allow her any communication with her family. She is essentially his unpaid servant. She is completely isolated.
When Lakshmi impulsively tries to commit suicide, Maggie is assigned as her therapist. It’s a challenge to treat a woman whose culture doesn’t allow her to understand the concept of therapy. Maggie relaxes her “rules” of therapy and blurs the lines between therapist and patient too much. For some reason, Lakshmi’s story resonates with her.
Both women disappoint each other. Maggie discovers the truth behind Lakshmi’s marriage story and her feelings about her patient change. Then Lakshmi is shocked to discover her perfect therapist with the perfect life isn’t so perfect.
As always, Umrigar explores the cultural differences between Americans and Indians. And she hones in on the things that make us all human and flawed.
In this one, Maggie is a black woman married to an Indian man who she loves deeply, but she is having an affair. She can’t explain to herself why. But she’s got some deep-seated daddy issues.
Lakshmi is an Indian woman forced to come to America with her new husband who doesn’t care about her at all. In fact, he regularly calls her stupid. He won’t allow her any communication with her family. She is essentially his unpaid servant. She is completely isolated.
When Lakshmi impulsively tries to commit suicide, Maggie is assigned as her therapist. It’s a challenge to treat a woman whose culture doesn’t allow her to understand the concept of therapy. Maggie relaxes her “rules” of therapy and blurs the lines between therapist and patient too much. For some reason, Lakshmi’s story resonates with her.
Both women disappoint each other. Maggie discovers the truth behind Lakshmi’s marriage story and her feelings about her patient change. Then Lakshmi is shocked to discover her perfect therapist with the perfect life isn’t so perfect.
As always, Umrigar explores the cultural differences between Americans and Indians. And she hones in on the things that make us all human and flawed.
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