Honor

It’s hard to put into words how much I loved this book. It reminded me of the writings of Khalid Hosseini and Corbin Addison. The story was rich and tragic and I turned every page desperate to learn more and to see what happened next. So happy I found Ms. Umrigar’s books. Each one is better than the one before. I am disappointed to have finished something magical that held me captive for days on end.

Read this for a book club. Great coverage and background of religious tensions in India and what happens when people are uneducated & continue barbaric customs. It’s a sad story and difficult to read at times but it was a good read. My only criticism is the lead character and her “romance” story. Was a little predictable as it went the way of a Hallmark movie.

Though there are many storytelling tropes in Honor -- the single, work focused, unconnected career woman with an awful secret going back to home/the scene of the unspeakable ... and the inevitable romance and reclamation of home, the reshuffling of priorities... with all that "Lifetime/Hallmark " structure acknowledged, THIS BOOK IS SPECTACULAR. The characters are multi dimensional, beautifully and richly drawn... their stories, their inner journeys are compelling. And what I learned about India. Wow! The descriptions of the city and the village, the customs and ethos - the time spent creating the worlds of India... rich, pungent, alive. When they're driving, I felt I was in the car with them. The horrible night I felt the terror, could almost smell the burning. The resonating story of Meena and Abdul, the hope for a new India... that hope lives on through Smita and Mohan and the little girl. This is a wonderful book, a gripping personal journey wrapped around a powerful, gorgeously written story.

I’ve been a fan of Thrity Umrigar since I read The Space Between Us several years ago, Searing…traumatic…haunting…beautiful…powerful… I read Honor in three days, while also teaching and meeting family responsibilities. It was hard to read and even harder to put down. The story follows Meena, a young Hindu woman, who marries Abdul, a Muslim man. Meena’s brothers burn Abdul to death and maim Meena badly in the process—an honor killing as retribution for their sister marrying a Muslim. Meena, pregnant and alone, survives; a lawyer persuades her to file a case against her brothers. Everything is stacked against Meena: patriarchal villagers; disgruntled, angry, emasculated brothers; a ruling village elder who bribes the villagers and the judge. Will Meena find justice? What do you think? The other storyline follows an Indian-American journalist tasked with covering Meena’s story when she arrives in Mumbai, the city of her birth, which she left at age 14 after traumatic, life-altering circumstances. Smita doesn’t just cover the story; she becomes part of it. Smita is accompanied in her visits to Meena’s village by a local Indian man, Mohan, with whom she forms an attachment. Umrigar tells the story at a fast pace, and while I wanted to skip over some of the heart-wrenching, cruel scenes, I couldn’t. As a writer, I foresaw the difficulty of finishing the story in a way that was true to the characters and the setting, yet realistic. Umrigar manages this impossible task with her characteristic brilliance. It is also the story of a love/hate relationship with a country—sound familiar? Smita grew up in India and had a happy childhood, until it was marred by hatred, vitriol, and betrayal she experienced as a teen, forcing her whole family to depart India. Umrigar positions India as a land of contrasts: great beauty and wrenching ugliness; warmth and hospitality, and unbending hatred; compassion and cruelty; extreme poverty and astounding wealth. Memorable quotes: On driving a car in Mumbai: “It was like listening to a demented, cacophonous orchestra; she had the strange sensation that the cars were communicating to one another, like in some science-fictional post-apocalyptic movie.” “Monster. Demon. Satan. In Smita’s line of work people often bandied around such terms to explain away horrendous behavior. Every time there was a mass shooting in America, for instance, there was a rush to label the shooter a crazed monster, rather than place him within the context of a culture that fetishized guns.” This quote especially interested me as we recently discussed the ‘monstrous’ in British Lit, as we discussed Beowulf and Grendel. We discussed the concept of the abject, othering people to distance them from ourselves, those we deem outside the realm of the acceptable, trying to prove we are nothing like them. Describing Meena’s scarred face: “That’s it exactly, Smita thought. Meena’s face was a map created by a brutal, misogynistic cartographer.” “Because traditions are like eggs—once you break one, it is impossible to put it back inside its shell.” I highly recommend Honor.

I had this book on my shelf for a long time, and was initially a little bit hesitant to read it, because I was worried it would feel too heavy. I was surprised once I started how enjoyable the book was, I really wanted to keep going. I think the story is set up very well, it kind of gives the viewpoint of what some of the issues women in India face when I looked at from a western viewpoint, well also sharing inside looks at the beauty of the country. The book looks deeply at women, religious affiliation, and socioeconomic power. But it does this all in a very human way. I was removed by the story, and the levels of incited gave. I do feel some things with the ending were a bit rushed. But that did not take away from the overall book.

A very intense and powerful novel about how the uneducated male dominant communities abuse the word honor under the theme of traditions and religions. Sadly but very true , this does not only take place in Hindustan but in all the different places of the world. This is a novel about the abuse of honor under traditions as well as the love and hatred one feels for their own country.

Bel libro, storia appassionante

I gave it 5 stars because of the writing style. It was an eye opener to the horrors and the beauty of India. A book not for the faint of heart but very well-written!

A beautiful book about a our prejudices and lack of tolerance as well as love kindness and family. We have so much to learn about each other. Love is an amazing healer. Highly recommended

So powerful, moving and important. Moved to tears. Hard to conjure up the words to describe. Grateful to have read it.

Loved this book. I found the start to be a bit slow but once it started getting into the main story line, I couldn’t put it down!