The Secrets Between Us, Thrity Umrigar
The Secrets Between Us, Thrity Umrigar
12 Rating(s)
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The Secrets Between Us
A Novel

Author: Thrity Umrigar

Narrator: Sneha Mathan

Unabridged: 11 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 06/26/2018


Synopsis

More than a decade since her bestselling novel, The Space Between Us, Thrity Umrigar continues Bhima’s unforgettable story in this stunning sequel.“The women at the heart of this novel inhabit the harsh world of the urban Indian poor, and struggle separately and together for dignity and survival. Thrity Umrigar has written a moving human tale that vividly brings to life both the women and the city of Mumbai.”—Salman RushdieBhima, the unforgettable main character of Thrity Umrigar’s beloved national bestseller The Space Between Us, returns in this triumphant sequel—a poignant and compelling novel in which the former servant struggles against the circumstances of class and misfortune to forge a new path for herself and her granddaughter in modern India.Poor and illiterate, Bhima had faithfully worked for the Dubash family, an upper-middle-class Parsi household, for more than twenty years. Yet after courageously speaking the truth about a heinous crime perpetrated against her own family, the devoted servant was cruelly fired. The sting of that dismissal was made more painful coming from Sera Dubash, the temperamental employer who had long been Bhima’s only confidante. A woman who has endured despair and loss with stoicism, Bhima must now find some other way to support herself and her granddaughter, Maya.Bhima’s fortunes take an unexpected turn when her path intersects with Parvati, a bitter, taciturn older woman. The two acquaintances soon form a tentative business partnership, selling fruits and vegetables at the local market. As they work together, these two women seemingly bound by fate grow closer, each confessing the truth about their lives and the wounds that haunt them. Discovering her first true friend, Bhima pieces together a new life, and together, the two women learn to stand on their own.A dazzling story of strength, friendship, and second chances, The Secrets Between Us is a powerful and perceptive novel that brilliantly evokes the complexities of life in modern India and the harsh realities faced by women born without privilege as they struggle to survive.

About Thrity Umrigar

Thrity Umrigar is the author of seven novels Everybody’s Son, The Story Hour, The World We Found, The Weight of Heaven, The Space Between Us, If Today Be Sweet, and Bombay Time; a memoir, First Darling of the Morning; and a children’s picture book, When I Carried You in My Belly. A former journalist, she was awarded a Nieman Fellowship to Harvard and was a finalist for the PEN Beyond Margins Award. A professor of English at Case Western Reserve University, she lives in Cleveland, Ohio. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by Canadian Jen on July 22, 2018

Grateful is how I am feeling. Grateful for this story that has threaded its way into my heart and makes me appreciate the life I have. For although there is always something that could be better, the lives of these women will make you rethink the positives and at least, temporarily, discard the nega......more

Goodreads review by Angela M on May 21, 2018

From the beginning, I was drawn in by the writing as I remember being when I read The Space Between Us. The story of Bhima, a poor servant continues as she works two jobs struggling to provide for her granddaughter Maya. I immediately felt as if I was back in the awful conditions, the poverty and da......more

Goodreads review by Sharon on January 22, 2024

I have not read The Space Between Us and I look forward to reading it; it is the book written before The Secrets Between Us. The main character, Bhima, is in both books. I listened to The Secrets Between Us on audiobook and Sneha Mathan narrated it superbly! Her intonation, pace, and emotion captivat......more

Goodreads review by Elena on September 04, 2020

This duology is so lovely that it breaks my heart. I just had the strangest reading experience. I devoured the first 90% of this book in 2 days, and then I put it down and didn’t touch it again for 2 weeks. Not because I was bored or needed a break, but because I was terrified of reaching the end. I......more

Goodreads review by Esil on July 05, 2018

I have read a few books by Thrity Umrigar, and I think this is my favourite so far. The Secrets Between Us features some of the same characters as her earlier book The Space Between Us. Set in Mumbai, India, the story focuses on Bhima and Parvati, two older women with difficult pasts living precario......more