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All of Us in Our Own Lives
"All of Us in Our Own Lives is the story of an encounter between strangers who shape each others' lives in fateful ways.
Ava Berriden, a Canadian lawyer, quits her corporate law firm in Toronto, leaves her passionless marriage and moves to Nepal, from where she was adopted as a baby. In Kathmandu, she struggles to launch a new career in international ai and to forge a connection with the country of her birth.
Ava's work brings her into contact with Indira Sharma, a leading gender expert in Kathmandu. It also takes her to a small village where bright young Sapana Karki dreams of progress for herself, her community and her country. Sapana's world-weary half-brother Gyanu, who works in Dubai, is back to settle his sister's future after their father's death.
Each person is on a journey of his or her own. These journeys intersect with a chance meeting between Ava and Gyanu. In the aftermath, her decisions alter the lives of the others.
The novel delves into the cynical, monied world of international aid, and reflects on recent events in Nepal, including the devastating earthquake of 2015 and the subsequent drafting of a new constitution. It is ultimately a story about human interconnectedness and the unexpected ways in which strangers come to relate to one another."
Ava Berriden, a Canadian lawyer, quits her corporate law firm in Toronto, leaves her passionless marriage and moves to Nepal, from where she was adopted as a baby. In Kathmandu, she struggles to launch a new career in international ai and to forge a connection with the country of her birth.
Ava's work brings her into contact with Indira Sharma, a leading gender expert in Kathmandu. It also takes her to a small village where bright young Sapana Karki dreams of progress for herself, her community and her country. Sapana's world-weary half-brother Gyanu, who works in Dubai, is back to settle his sister's future after their father's death.
Each person is on a journey of his or her own. These journeys intersect with a chance meeting between Ava and Gyanu. In the aftermath, her decisions alter the lives of the others.
The novel delves into the cynical, monied world of international aid, and reflects on recent events in Nepal, including the devastating earthquake of 2015 and the subsequent drafting of a new constitution. It is ultimately a story about human interconnectedness and the unexpected ways in which strangers come to relate to one another."
213 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2016
13 people are currently reading
382 people want to read
About the author
Manjushree Thapa
23 books95 followersManjushree Thapa is a Nepali writer.
She grew up in Nepal, Canada and the USA. She began to write upon completing her BFA in photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her first book was Mustang Bhot in Fragments (1992). In 2001 she published the novel The Tutor of History, which she had begun as her MFA thesis in the creative writing program at the University of Washington. Her best known book is Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy (2005), published just weeks before the royal coup in Nepal on 1 February 2005. The book was shortlisted for the Lettre Ulysses Award in 2006.[3] After the publication of the book, Thapa left the country to write against the coup. In 2007 she published a short story collection, Tilled Earth. In 2009 she published a biography of a Nepali environmentalist: 'A Boy from Siklis: The Life and Times of Chandra Gurung.' The following year she published a novel, 'Seasons of Flight.' In 2011 she published a nonfiction collection, 'The Lives We Have Lost: Essays and Opinions on Nepal.' She has also written as an op-ed contributor to the New York Times.[4][5]
During the fall and winter of 2011, she was writer-in-residence at Berton House in Dawson City, Yukon.
She grew up in Nepal, Canada and the USA. She began to write upon completing her BFA in photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her first book was Mustang Bhot in Fragments (1992). In 2001 she published the novel The Tutor of History, which she had begun as her MFA thesis in the creative writing program at the University of Washington. Her best known book is Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy (2005), published just weeks before the royal coup in Nepal on 1 February 2005. The book was shortlisted for the Lettre Ulysses Award in 2006.[3] After the publication of the book, Thapa left the country to write against the coup. In 2007 she published a short story collection, Tilled Earth. In 2009 she published a biography of a Nepali environmentalist: 'A Boy from Siklis: The Life and Times of Chandra Gurung.' The following year she published a novel, 'Seasons of Flight.' In 2011 she published a nonfiction collection, 'The Lives We Have Lost: Essays and Opinions on Nepal.' She has also written as an op-ed contributor to the New York Times.[4][5]
During the fall and winter of 2011, she was writer-in-residence at Berton House in Dawson City, Yukon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
June 22, 2020
I'm pretty sure this is the first novel I've read by a female Nepali writer, and I adored it. Although quite brief (just over 200 pages), it took me to Nepal and set me down in the dust of Kathmandu, and made me care about all of the main characters.
Ava Berriden is a Canadian corporate lawyer, adopted from Nepal as a baby. Her parents always wanted her to have a connection with her birth-culture, but after a disastrous holiday in Nepal as a teenager, Ava didn't even want to know about it. So as she reaches a juncture in her life - separating from her husband and reaching a tipping point with her career in law - it's a surprise to her entire family when she takes a job in the aid sector, based in Kathmandu. She's in two minds about whether she wants to learn more about her background, and largely keeps her adoption a secret from her new colleagues and acquaintances.
Sapana, a bright young woman from a village in the south, is also at a crossroads. After the death of her mother a few years before, she is nursing her father in his final days, and waiting for her older brother to return from Dubai to perform the mourning rites. She hopes Gyanu will stay this time, but fears he won't, and is concerned about the the restrictions his absence will place on her own life.
Gyanu has met the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with, and worries that returning to the village for a period of time will jeopardise not only his job in Dubai but also his relationship with Maleah. Duty trumps desire and he goes back to pay his respects and to secure Sapana's future .
Back in Kathmandu, rounding out the cast of main characters, is Indira, a leading gender expert. Currently the Deputy Co-director of WDS Nepal, she has her eyes firmly on the prize. She is desperate to replace the outgoing Director to become not only the first Nepali Director, but also the first woman to take on the role. But the Indira of the boardroom and the international conferences is very different from the Indira in her own home; dealing with an interfering MIL, trying to support her jilted maid, and just wanting the simple things in life like being able to drink a glass of wine at her own dinner parties.
The four characters come together of course, and each has a surprising impact on the lives of the others, just as premised by Sapana's early musings: Maybe everyone's life is part of a whole. It felt so to her, because when she thought about it, she felt that the actions of one person shape the lives of others, and...don't all of us in our own lives shape the lives of others?
What I really loved about this novel compared with other Nepali fiction that I've read, is that the local characters are well-rounded and normal. By that I mean they weren't just oppressed, cardboard stereotypes. They have their dreams and and their tragedies, and yes their lives are shaped by cultural forces that are a little different to my own, but underneath it all I can recognise that they are people just like me.
Never having worked in the aid sector I wasn't really sure whether that aspect of the novel was satire or ultra-realism, but with my public sector background I think I've seen enough to make a confident guess. Yikes.
Ava Berriden is a Canadian corporate lawyer, adopted from Nepal as a baby. Her parents always wanted her to have a connection with her birth-culture, but after a disastrous holiday in Nepal as a teenager, Ava didn't even want to know about it. So as she reaches a juncture in her life - separating from her husband and reaching a tipping point with her career in law - it's a surprise to her entire family when she takes a job in the aid sector, based in Kathmandu. She's in two minds about whether she wants to learn more about her background, and largely keeps her adoption a secret from her new colleagues and acquaintances.
Sapana, a bright young woman from a village in the south, is also at a crossroads. After the death of her mother a few years before, she is nursing her father in his final days, and waiting for her older brother to return from Dubai to perform the mourning rites. She hopes Gyanu will stay this time, but fears he won't, and is concerned about the the restrictions his absence will place on her own life.
Gyanu has met the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with, and worries that returning to the village for a period of time will jeopardise not only his job in Dubai but also his relationship with Maleah. Duty trumps desire and he goes back to pay his respects and to secure Sapana's future .
Back in Kathmandu, rounding out the cast of main characters, is Indira, a leading gender expert. Currently the Deputy Co-director of WDS Nepal, she has her eyes firmly on the prize. She is desperate to replace the outgoing Director to become not only the first Nepali Director, but also the first woman to take on the role. But the Indira of the boardroom and the international conferences is very different from the Indira in her own home; dealing with an interfering MIL, trying to support her jilted maid, and just wanting the simple things in life like being able to drink a glass of wine at her own dinner parties.
The four characters come together of course, and each has a surprising impact on the lives of the others, just as premised by Sapana's early musings: Maybe everyone's life is part of a whole. It felt so to her, because when she thought about it, she felt that the actions of one person shape the lives of others, and...don't all of us in our own lives shape the lives of others?
What I really loved about this novel compared with other Nepali fiction that I've read, is that the local characters are well-rounded and normal. By that I mean they weren't just oppressed, cardboard stereotypes. They have their dreams and and their tragedies, and yes their lives are shaped by cultural forces that are a little different to my own, but underneath it all I can recognise that they are people just like me.
Never having worked in the aid sector I wasn't really sure whether that aspect of the novel was satire or ultra-realism, but with my public sector background I think I've seen enough to make a confident guess. Yikes.
June 29, 2020
I feel complicated things after finishing this book. It’s impossible not to feel enormously privileged and so lucky to have grown up in Canada after reading about the lives of the various women in Nepal in this story. At the same time, I could understand Ava’s need to understand if she could find a connection to the country of her. birth, Nepal. Her lack of awareness of its cultures and mores was both familiar as well as a little painful, as it displayed her utter foreignness.
The other two women in this story are both at different places in their lives, both professionally and personally, and it’s actually the Indira who suffers more from the interference and incompetence of the men in her life than does Sapana, the teenager looking to get more involved with a women’s’ committee in her town and make a difference in her town, and eventually on a larger scale.
This story, with its multiple PoVs, makes one think harder about international aid and how bizarre and Byzantine the frameworks and rules are for those looking to make a difference through an NGO and the western assumptions inherent in these groups, and how some of that aid might be perceived by its potential recipients. Fascinating stuff.
The other two women in this story are both at different places in their lives, both professionally and personally, and it’s actually the Indira who suffers more from the interference and incompetence of the men in her life than does Sapana, the teenager looking to get more involved with a women’s’ committee in her town and make a difference in her town, and eventually on a larger scale.
This story, with its multiple PoVs, makes one think harder about international aid and how bizarre and Byzantine the frameworks and rules are for those looking to make a difference through an NGO and the western assumptions inherent in these groups, and how some of that aid might be perceived by its potential recipients. Fascinating stuff.
April 11, 2024
Ava è nata in Nepal ed è stata adottata quando aveva pochi mesi da una coppia canadese. Contrariamente a tante altre persone adottate, non sembra avere un grande interesse per scoprire chi fossero i suoi genitori, anche se da bambina ha fatto un viaggio con i suoi genitori adottivi e sono andati all'orfanotrofio dove viveva. A un certo punto però sente il bisogno di lasciare la sua carriera di avvocato e di trasferirsi in Nepal a lavorare nell'ambito degli aiuti umanitari (non però come volontaria, ma come dirigente di alto livello). Qui farà la conoscenza di tante persone che anche noi lettori abbiamo incontrato nei primissimi capitoli del libro, ognuno dei quali era dedicato a un personaggio diverso.
Il romanzo parla sì di Ava e della sua vita in Nepal, ma anche e soprattutto del mondo degli aiuti umanitari, che forse non è così rose e fiori come si vorrebbe credere, se tanta parte dei soldi va non ai poveri quanto piuttosto ai dirigenti a tutti i livelli, compresi i responsabili di progetto locali. E tuttavia, ciò non toglie che gli aiuti facciano del bene a molte persone, come Ava ha modo di vedere quando si reca a visitare alcuni comitati nel Nepal più profondo, così diverso da Kathmandu.
Non è un brutto romanzo, ma non mi ha entusiasmato. Ho provato più simpatia per i personaggi "secondari" (che poi secondari non sono) che per Ava, ma non è questo il problema. Non so di preciso quale sia stato il problema che mi ha impedito di connettermi in profondità coi personaggi e con la storia raccontata, forse è solo il periodo intenso che sto atttraversando, dove lo spazio per leggere è poco e la lettura a spizzichi e bocconi potrebbe non essere l'ideale per apprezzare davvero questo libro. Magari leggerò qualcos'altro di questa autrice in futuro.
Il romanzo parla sì di Ava e della sua vita in Nepal, ma anche e soprattutto del mondo degli aiuti umanitari, che forse non è così rose e fiori come si vorrebbe credere, se tanta parte dei soldi va non ai poveri quanto piuttosto ai dirigenti a tutti i livelli, compresi i responsabili di progetto locali. E tuttavia, ciò non toglie che gli aiuti facciano del bene a molte persone, come Ava ha modo di vedere quando si reca a visitare alcuni comitati nel Nepal più profondo, così diverso da Kathmandu.
Non è un brutto romanzo, ma non mi ha entusiasmato. Ho provato più simpatia per i personaggi "secondari" (che poi secondari non sono) che per Ava, ma non è questo il problema. Non so di preciso quale sia stato il problema che mi ha impedito di connettermi in profondità coi personaggi e con la storia raccontata, forse è solo il periodo intenso che sto atttraversando, dove lo spazio per leggere è poco e la lettura a spizzichi e bocconi potrebbe non essere l'ideale per apprezzare davvero questo libro. Magari leggerò qualcos'altro di questa autrice in futuro.
March 16, 2019
How much ought a person have to buffet themselves against others? p190
This exploration of suffering as a way of life and the dubiousness of official help in alleviating its root cause recognizes the conundrum. Who really benefits from aid that is conditional, limited and insufficient to provide any real or lasting change in the conditions of people with little hope for their future?
A has often thought about them, measuring the value of their lives, and the value of her life, and thinking: she could have been one of them, but isn't. p315
Difficult to rate this, somewhere between 3 and 4, rounded up in admiration for the author and the importance of the subject.. In my system it is 5/7
This exploration of suffering as a way of life and the dubiousness of official help in alleviating its root cause recognizes the conundrum. Who really benefits from aid that is conditional, limited and insufficient to provide any real or lasting change in the conditions of people with little hope for their future?
A has often thought about them, measuring the value of their lives, and the value of her life, and thinking: she could have been one of them, but isn't. p315
Difficult to rate this, somewhere between 3 and 4, rounded up in admiration for the author and the importance of the subject.. In my system it is 5/7
October 12, 2016
Only Lady-authors can communicate heavy social issues through the finesse of family lives. I have been observing the Nepali brethren in our company premises and therefore could fully empathise with the author was trying to convey. It is heart-breaking to see they being mistreated in India. Life has been always an uphill task for the small nation, the struggle seems to increase as the times pass by.
Having said that, this novel is what we say a fine piece of art, taking us through various lives that capture the wholesome pulse of Nepal. Reminds me the novel "Inheritance of Loss" of Kiran Desai, in which she captures the life of Gorkha movement in Darjeeling. Also similar to "Lowland" of Jhumpa Lahiri, in which she encapsulates the essence of Naxal movement. I have become a fan of lady-authors, wherein they make you think through subtle hints about real issues.
Manjushree Thapa may be the next in line, after Arundhati,Kiran and Jhumpa...
Having said that, this novel is what we say a fine piece of art, taking us through various lives that capture the wholesome pulse of Nepal. Reminds me the novel "Inheritance of Loss" of Kiran Desai, in which she captures the life of Gorkha movement in Darjeeling. Also similar to "Lowland" of Jhumpa Lahiri, in which she encapsulates the essence of Naxal movement. I have become a fan of lady-authors, wherein they make you think through subtle hints about real issues.
Manjushree Thapa may be the next in line, after Arundhati,Kiran and Jhumpa...
Read
March 30, 2019Sounded like this would be good but nope. Too many acronyms, too little explanation, too little character development. I knew Ava was doing aid work in Nepal but what it was 🤷🏼♀️
February 21, 2024
I had to read this for my Gender, Justice, and Change class I'm taking in University.
Therefore, wasn't looking forward to reading it, and wasn't expecting it to be good either.
I really enjoyed it overall though, I was intrigued really early on and thought it was a good novel that still touched on very important matters through these fictional characters lives.
The way their lives intertwined and they all came together at one point or another as well, as I wasn't even expecting that in the beginning either, and they all tied in a great parts.
Even if this was a book I would've read on my own I would've enjoyed it.
The ending was great in my opinion as well, because I wouldn't say everyone got the perfect happy ending, but it wasn't a cliffhanger or you felt bad after it either, it had the perfect balance of setting up the characters for the ending with the information that was given and where they're going from there, while still be able to show that they're going to be okay even if it's not the definite happy ending, because especially for this book we see that's not always realistic for this reality.
Therefore, wasn't looking forward to reading it, and wasn't expecting it to be good either.
I really enjoyed it overall though, I was intrigued really early on and thought it was a good novel that still touched on very important matters through these fictional characters lives.
The way their lives intertwined and they all came together at one point or another as well, as I wasn't even expecting that in the beginning either, and they all tied in a great parts.
Even if this was a book I would've read on my own I would've enjoyed it.
The ending was great in my opinion as well, because I wouldn't say everyone got the perfect happy ending, but it wasn't a cliffhanger or you felt bad after it either, it had the perfect balance of setting up the characters for the ending with the information that was given and where they're going from there, while still be able to show that they're going to be okay even if it's not the definite happy ending, because especially for this book we see that's not always realistic for this reality.
September 5, 2016
It is a light read, I would say. It is beautiful, short and sweet. It has its reality bases and fictional twists. And, as a reader I think everyone will enjoy.
Since, I have been reading Manjushree Thapa, I was expecting more from this book than it has offered. Non the less, it is a beautiful book.
Since, I have been reading Manjushree Thapa, I was expecting more from this book than it has offered. Non the less, it is a beautiful book.
June 12, 2018
*Thank you Aleph Book Company for this review copy!
Manjushree Thapa’s ‘All of us in our own lives’ in its entirety is a book that will take readers into the socio-economic and cultural ethos of the lives of the common men and women in Nepal, a small country that has seen much. We get to follow the lives of four main protagonists and through them, how lives intersect and tell a larger story: Ava Berriden who quits her unsatisfying job in Toronto (and who has been adopted from an orphanage in Kathmandu); Indira Sharma who works in the NGO sector on gender issues; Sapana Karki, a young girl with huge dreams and little at hand and Gyanu, Sapana’s half brother who works in a hotel in Dubai far removed from his birthplace and who must now head back for the last rites of his father.
Manjushree Thapa places her women characters in thought provoking backdrops: Ava, who has come back to Nepal to work in the aid sector in a position where she can make a difference and who tells herself that she doesn’t belong; Indira, an expert in her field in the aid sector who must not only flight off other women vying to be in the field but who must also fight off men who take her and her work for granted (including her husband who is often loud and drunk but one who keeps to himself and hence makes only cursory appearances in the narrative) and keep toeing the line that she cannot cross; Sapana whose simple life revolves around wanting her brother to come back and live with her and who when given an opportunity to stand on her own impresses with her belief that women can achieve things together but loses her moorings somewhat when her close friend Chandra decides to follow her sister and migrate to India.
I thoroughly loved the narrative of Manjushree Thapa’s ‘All of us in our own lives’ but must put in a slight warning that readers might find the technical bits and pieces of aid work in terms of project proposals and inputs and assessments might be a somewhat of a bother but believe me, once those parts are through, the larger story takes life and how! Recommended.
Manjushree Thapa’s ‘All of us in our own lives’ in its entirety is a book that will take readers into the socio-economic and cultural ethos of the lives of the common men and women in Nepal, a small country that has seen much. We get to follow the lives of four main protagonists and through them, how lives intersect and tell a larger story: Ava Berriden who quits her unsatisfying job in Toronto (and who has been adopted from an orphanage in Kathmandu); Indira Sharma who works in the NGO sector on gender issues; Sapana Karki, a young girl with huge dreams and little at hand and Gyanu, Sapana’s half brother who works in a hotel in Dubai far removed from his birthplace and who must now head back for the last rites of his father.
Manjushree Thapa places her women characters in thought provoking backdrops: Ava, who has come back to Nepal to work in the aid sector in a position where she can make a difference and who tells herself that she doesn’t belong; Indira, an expert in her field in the aid sector who must not only flight off other women vying to be in the field but who must also fight off men who take her and her work for granted (including her husband who is often loud and drunk but one who keeps to himself and hence makes only cursory appearances in the narrative) and keep toeing the line that she cannot cross; Sapana whose simple life revolves around wanting her brother to come back and live with her and who when given an opportunity to stand on her own impresses with her belief that women can achieve things together but loses her moorings somewhat when her close friend Chandra decides to follow her sister and migrate to India.
I thoroughly loved the narrative of Manjushree Thapa’s ‘All of us in our own lives’ but must put in a slight warning that readers might find the technical bits and pieces of aid work in terms of project proposals and inputs and assessments might be a somewhat of a bother but believe me, once those parts are through, the larger story takes life and how! Recommended.
October 3, 2023
Rating: ****
This was an interesting and relatable book as I've spent time in Nepal.
The four protagonists are from different backgrounds each whose stories delve into familiar themes that run in Nepali society.
In the first 20-30 pages, I was lost in a haze of rapidly changing characters and names as the story is kind of multi POV (point-of-view). After that, things settle down as their stories get familiar. Also there's much too much jargon and acronyms related to INGOs that was just lost on me. The character Indira is somewhat hard-to-believe and unconvincing in her relationship with the young maid who she goes out on a limb to save.
That said, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Nepal as it touches on so many aspects of life here.
Themes of:
- being raised in an orphanage and being adopted by foreigners (I've friends who were raised in Bal Mandir and their stories are heartbreaking yet inspiring)
-half-siblings, step-parents
- the eternal conundrum of a weary existence abroad to earn a living and send money home
-foreign employment agents cheating vulnerable people
-corruption in the aid sector, cuts and commissions, bribing to get top posts,
-"boozy camaraderie" of male staff bonding on off-site work trips while females sit in their rooms
-the apple-picking industry in Japan
-pyramid get-quick-rich schemes (another friend lost 2 lakh rupees to such a scheme after which her "friend" disappeared).
-People in Bombay calling Nepalese males "bahadur."
There's a part which deals with Nepali girls who go to live and earn in India. It reminded me of a young girl who once told me her mother used to tell her "If you ever wake up and don't see hills around you in the distance, you're in India."
There's also beauty amid this chaos: female friendships like that between Sapana and Chandra, brother and sister looking out for each other, and then, life's so-called strugglers and imperfect people doing their best in a world that wasn't quite made for them.
Nicely done Manjushree!
April 2, 2024
The copy I have has a different cover - vibrant red. Loved that cover. Loved the title. But alas, didn't really love the book. It is a first novel by the author so it is a career in process.
I found the setup of the novel confusing. I think I count 16 divisions marked by a symbol. Some are very long and some as short as a page or two. Within the longer ones there are maybe what could be chapters that really just start with some bolded text.
There are a couple main characters whose storylines interweave. The depth of character development wasn't there for me so I got confused when the storyline switched by chapters and it took me a half page to a page in to realize what storyline I was in.
The focus of the book takes place in Nepal and how funding flows to community-based organizations, notably women-focused community development work. But too often in reading I felt that I was in board rooms and meetings with too many acronyms flying around and too many names of organizations that don't interest me. It felt at times like I was back at work!
I applaud the author for bringing we readers into the villages of Nepal, highlighting the patriarchal reality for women, the experience of workers who leave villages of many developing countries to find work in wealthier countries and the conditions they face. I also applaud the author for highlighting the privileged life we live in Canada through the experience of the character Ava.
The intentions of the novel are good - the storylines are there - but for me the structure of the writing and the detail of the meetings didn't work.
I found the setup of the novel confusing. I think I count 16 divisions marked by a symbol. Some are very long and some as short as a page or two. Within the longer ones there are maybe what could be chapters that really just start with some bolded text.
There are a couple main characters whose storylines interweave. The depth of character development wasn't there for me so I got confused when the storyline switched by chapters and it took me a half page to a page in to realize what storyline I was in.
The focus of the book takes place in Nepal and how funding flows to community-based organizations, notably women-focused community development work. But too often in reading I felt that I was in board rooms and meetings with too many acronyms flying around and too many names of organizations that don't interest me. It felt at times like I was back at work!
I applaud the author for bringing we readers into the villages of Nepal, highlighting the patriarchal reality for women, the experience of workers who leave villages of many developing countries to find work in wealthier countries and the conditions they face. I also applaud the author for highlighting the privileged life we live in Canada through the experience of the character Ava.
The intentions of the novel are good - the storylines are there - but for me the structure of the writing and the detail of the meetings didn't work.
June 13, 2019
This is 3.5 stars; however, I choose to round up, since the setting of Nepal makes this an unusual story.
A Novel set predominantly in Nepal before and shortly after the 2015 devastating earthquake. It centers on four primary characters and their experiences of Life not only in Nepal but Canada and Dubai as well. It's a snapshot of everyday Lives in circumstances of change, ambition, corruption, sexism, fear, loneliness, isolation, disconnection, cultural expectations and for some abject poverty. Manjushree delivers an enjoyable story, which pushes the reader behind the curtain of the 'aid industry' in a manner which is critical and pointed. As a debut, this is very audacious and meticulous and although I understand that the use of vernacular jargon of the NGO's was an astute way to illustrate the alienation & confusion experienced by one of the main characters, the unfortunate part is that without any sort of 'footnotes' the reader is also left befuddled. This is a Writer who has an intrepid political voice, which she is able to parlay as a Storyteller. A captivating read for an early Summer afternoon in the hammock!
A Novel set predominantly in Nepal before and shortly after the 2015 devastating earthquake. It centers on four primary characters and their experiences of Life not only in Nepal but Canada and Dubai as well. It's a snapshot of everyday Lives in circumstances of change, ambition, corruption, sexism, fear, loneliness, isolation, disconnection, cultural expectations and for some abject poverty. Manjushree delivers an enjoyable story, which pushes the reader behind the curtain of the 'aid industry' in a manner which is critical and pointed. As a debut, this is very audacious and meticulous and although I understand that the use of vernacular jargon of the NGO's was an astute way to illustrate the alienation & confusion experienced by one of the main characters, the unfortunate part is that without any sort of 'footnotes' the reader is also left befuddled. This is a Writer who has an intrepid political voice, which she is able to parlay as a Storyteller. A captivating read for an early Summer afternoon in the hammock!
April 4, 2021
All of Us in Our Own Lives follows a variety of characters internationally from Paris to Dubai to Nepal to Canada, and explores the evolution of the female and male characters in a patriarchal world. Thapa explores global political themes and gender issues such as equality, gender roles, and the glass ceiling, through the main female characters Sapana, Indira, and Ava, and demonstrates their hardships and how they are overcome through their connected work in the Women's Empowerment Program. Although the book takes on a fictional lens towards the themes Thapa attempts to display, it still holds true to modern day dilemmas as many women and men can relate to the struggles each character goes through, unique to one another personally, but similar on an international scale.
At first, the book is difficult to follow with a large amount of characters all provided quickly with confusing storylines, but if you stick with it, the storylines begin to blend together and intertwine. It's short, a worthwhile read, and perfect for anyone intrigued by global gender politics and who wants to take a glimpse at the lives of women in Nepal.
At first, the book is difficult to follow with a large amount of characters all provided quickly with confusing storylines, but if you stick with it, the storylines begin to blend together and intertwine. It's short, a worthwhile read, and perfect for anyone intrigued by global gender politics and who wants to take a glimpse at the lives of women in Nepal.
November 20, 2025
** 3.5/5
This book chronicles a few characters and their lives in Nepal. It circles around the theme of luck and how lucky or unlucky some people are to be born into different lives, different places and different castes.
The book is very political as all the characters are heavily involved in aid organizations in Nepal. I didn’t know much about this world, so it was interesting to get an insight into how aid organizations work. It’s comedic the language that’s used in these organizations and the checks and balances that need to happen for no real reason (why I didn’t go into gov post poli sci grad lol).
It was pretty hard for me to get into the book at the beginning as we flip back and forth from the 3 main stories - Ava, Sapana and Indira within the span of a few pages. This device works better for me when there’s some sort of mystery element, but I think I’d have preferred to stay in one characters store more in depth. I just find that flipping through too many characters doesn’t let me connect with any of them enough as I’d like.
This book chronicles a few characters and their lives in Nepal. It circles around the theme of luck and how lucky or unlucky some people are to be born into different lives, different places and different castes.
The book is very political as all the characters are heavily involved in aid organizations in Nepal. I didn’t know much about this world, so it was interesting to get an insight into how aid organizations work. It’s comedic the language that’s used in these organizations and the checks and balances that need to happen for no real reason (why I didn’t go into gov post poli sci grad lol).
It was pretty hard for me to get into the book at the beginning as we flip back and forth from the 3 main stories - Ava, Sapana and Indira within the span of a few pages. This device works better for me when there’s some sort of mystery element, but I think I’d have preferred to stay in one characters store more in depth. I just find that flipping through too many characters doesn’t let me connect with any of them enough as I’d like.
January 23, 2020
The first - of what is hoped to be many - Amnesty International book club read of the new year! I was quickly drawn in into this book and really couldn't put it down. In fact I wish it had gone on! I really want to know what happened to the characters in the book - Ava - a Nepalese born Canadian lawyer who returns to work with an international aid country, Indira who is a prominent aid worker wanting to head the organization she works with, Sapana a young woman in a remote village and her half brother Gyanna who works in Dubai . They all meet and interact with each other at crucial times in their lives and bring awareness of other lives to each other. This book gives a good insight into international aid organizations and the people they strive to help.
January 15, 2022
This book took on many big themes (patriarchy, caste, foreign workers, social inclusion, human trafficking, and more) but I'm not sure it was able to quite do them all justice. I do wonder if the presence of all of these themes was a literary choice or simply a factor of the reality of telling the story authentically.
I really enjoyed the varied perspectives from a culture so different from the privileged one I have. Especially getting to see the different frames of reference of Sapana and Gyanu as siblings.
It took a bit to get into the book and attach to the characters (some I never really did) but I am glad I stuck it out. I think I would have liked the story better without Ava as a whole.
Would seek out other works from the author.
I really enjoyed the varied perspectives from a culture so different from the privileged one I have. Especially getting to see the different frames of reference of Sapana and Gyanu as siblings.
It took a bit to get into the book and attach to the characters (some I never really did) but I am glad I stuck it out. I think I would have liked the story better without Ava as a whole.
Would seek out other works from the author.
March 1, 2025
I loved Manjushree Thapa's All of Us in Our Own Lives. The initial shuttle from Ontario to Paris to Ras Al Khaimah to Butwal to Miami to Kathmandu...took some getting used to, but I loved the story because at its core, it’s a book about women and also because I was forced to confront truths about Nepal that I wasn’t willing to accept. I hate to dwell on Kathmandu's drabness and refuse to imagine the poverty beyond the city. But it's a truth i must learn to accept. Reading about the NGO functionings especially in the aftermath of USAID cuts to Nepal, made the read thought provoking. And now, almost a decade after its publication, it’s disturbing to realize that not much has changed in Nepal. A jarring but reassuring story
May 31, 2024
There were so many things in this book which came so close to my life, not just that, I saw a reflection of myself in the character Gyanu and I saw glimpses of my sister in Sapana, glimpses of my wife in Maleah.
I just need to place Pakistan to replace Nepal.
I have lived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sydney, Australia and now reside in Montreal, Canada.
In the last pages, there was this small section which mentioned about Gyanu and Sapana’s home where no one will live anymore. Reminded me of my whole life!
I really loved reading this book and will try to find mote of Manjishree Thapa’s writings.
I just need to place Pakistan to replace Nepal.
I have lived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sydney, Australia and now reside in Montreal, Canada.
In the last pages, there was this small section which mentioned about Gyanu and Sapana’s home where no one will live anymore. Reminded me of my whole life!
I really loved reading this book and will try to find mote of Manjishree Thapa’s writings.
April 13, 2023
Beautiful slice of life novel featuring numerous povs from lovable, unique characters. Reading about the characters, the environment and the cultural context made me miss
home a bit more than usual. Thapa talks about real issues that Nepali citizens have to face - foreign employment, education, difficulties with NGOs and funding etc. - and explained them in an easy-to-read format. Loved the way the characters all start on their own and slowly weave together in the journeys that life leads them throughout the book.
Would definitely read again :)
home a bit more than usual. Thapa talks about real issues that Nepali citizens have to face - foreign employment, education, difficulties with NGOs and funding etc. - and explained them in an easy-to-read format. Loved the way the characters all start on their own and slowly weave together in the journeys that life leads them throughout the book.
Would definitely read again :)
June 16, 2022
read this for school, and wasn’t ever something I would have picked out for myself but it was genuinely a great read. Good look at another culture that I knew nothing about, but it was described in a way that you could grow to understand the more you read the novel. Loved that it was half Nepali culture and half Canadian. I also liked that it didn’t just tell one story, but many different ones that end up intertwining as you move along in the story.
November 17, 2018
For nepalese writer writing in english, this much writing seems okay. I like the narrative technique though there are many flaws on the plot. The reality of aid and politics of INGO and NGO affect in every sector. The book has been successful as suggested by the title - we all are entagled in our own lives, we can't overcome from the situation even if we want to.
April 24, 2019
I almost gave up on this book because I had a hard time following the characters. But I’m glad I didn’t! I loved learning about Nepal and international NGO’s. I loved the different perspectives and world views from the characters.
October 17, 2021
I liked Gyanu’s and Sapana’s stories, but I thought Ava was very annoying. I didn’t enjoy the writing style either and there were too many acronyms which made it difficult to follow.
This is one of those books I’ll probably forget I’ve read.
This is one of those books I’ll probably forget I’ve read.
March 5, 2024
Many points of views are given in this book. I really liked the review by “Lata “ in a previous post. The book really made me think about NGO’s and what they do or don’t accomplish. It’s a complex issue.
October 7, 2024
"She is a young girl, Ava, a village girl, very innocent. I am her guardian — I am her mother-father, her only family in this world. You see, Ava, the problem in Nepal is — women are idiot-fools. We give men everything, and these men: what do they do? Life is too hard for Nepali women.”
November 1, 2018
I loved this book. It touched on so many of the feelings of love, pain and struggles of the Nepali society.
My Love/Hate relationships.
But more refreshes my soul and passion for Nepal.
My Love/Hate relationships.
But more refreshes my soul and passion for Nepal.
April 29, 2019
difficult to follow all the characters and the different organisations. Should have list of characters and their relationships and the short forms of each NGO
April 9, 2020
Simply the best....
May 12, 2021
panders to social justice warriors, but still interesting
March 31, 2022
This book was lame
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