Honor by Thrity Umrigar

 

Name of Book: Honor

Author: Thrity Umrigar

ISBN: 978-1-61620-995-7

Publisher: Algonquin 

Type of book: 1990s, 2018, India, return, journalism, questions,  Muslims in India, privilege, relationships, honor, burning, poverty, classicism, metropolitan areas, decisions, family, hiding, forced conversions 

Year it was published: 2022

Summary:

THE NEW REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK FOR JANUARY!

In this riveting and immersive novel, bestselling author Thrity Umrigar tells the story of two couples and the sometimes dangerous and heartbreaking challenges of love across a cultural divide.

Indian American journalist Smita has returned to India to cover a story, but reluctantly: long ago she and her family left the country with no intention of ever coming back. As she follows the case of Meena—a Hindu woman attacked by members of her own village and her own family for marrying a Muslim man—Smita comes face to face with a society where tradition carries more weight than one’s own heart, and a story that threatens to unearth the painful secrets of Smita’s own past. While Meena’s fate hangs in the balance, Smita tries in every way she can to right the scales. She also finds herself increasingly drawn to Mohan, an Indian man she meets while on assignment. But the dual love stories of Honor are as different as the cultures of Meena and Smita themselves: Smita realizes she has the freedom to enter into a casual affair, knowing she can decide later how much it means to her.

In this tender and evocative novel about love, hope, familial devotion, betrayal, and sacrifice, Thrity Umrigar shows us two courageous women trying to navigate how to be true to their homelands and themselves at the same time. 

Characters:

Main characters include Smita Agarwal a thirty four year old journalist who leads a nomadic lifestyle and travels from place to place without putting roots down. Personally for me she was a frustrating character and despite the whole story from her point of view, I couldn't understand her at all. Mohan is a thirty two year old Desi man who helps Shannon out and who is extremely proud of India, not even being aware of his privilege or of the wrongs minorities suffer in his nation. He is ahead of his time, educated, easy-going and loyal as well as devoted. Meena is a woman from a poor and backwards village in India who has dared to break stereotypes and paid a heavy price for marrying and becoming pregnant with a Muslim mans child. 

 
Theme:

What does honor really mean? 

Plot:

Most of the story is written in third person narrative from Smitas point of view, although some chapters provide Meenas point of view. Simply put, Smita is asked to come back to India to cover a story about Meenas suing her brothers for the killing of her Muslim husband and disfigurement. While in India she meets with privileged Mohan who has an idealistic streak and the two go on a trip to Meenas village. Honestly there is a lot that deserved to be explored and covered; I was highly interested in learning more about Meena and I wanted to spend time with her rather than the frustrating Smita. I also couldn't understand the whole romance angle, especially since Smita shows little to no interest in Mohan. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

A 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)"

Opinion:

To be honest, I would rate this novel about 3.5 stars. I am not a stranger to reading books set in India; in fact I have read a number of fiction that is set in India and/or Sri Lanka and are written by authors who have either Sri Lankan or Hindu ancestry. A few ugly things that were explored in Honor I had familiarity with them through reading other fiction. I honestly had to ask myself: why is this story frustrating me? I was excited to read the novel and to dive in into the story as well as learn more fascinating tidbits about India. While the story was an excellent learning opportunity, I think the romance was way too rushed. I honestly feel as if a story of this magnitude deserves a sequel instead of simply rushing through the whole plot. So yes, while well written, it was a disappointing read. 

This was sent for review 

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)