space between us book review

ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

THE SPACE BETWEEN US

by Thrity Umrigar ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 10, 2006

A subtle, elegant analysis of class and power. Umrigar transcends the specifics of two Bombay women and creates a novel that...

Set in contemporary Bombay, Umrigar’s second novel ( Bombay Time , 2001) is an affecting portrait of a woman and her maid, whose lives, despite class disparity, are equally heartbreaking.

Though Bhima has worked for the Dubash family for decades and is coyly referred to as “one of the family,” she nonetheless is forbidden from sitting on the furniture and must use her own utensils while eating. For years, Sera blamed these humiliating boundaries on her husband Feroz, but now that he’s dead and she’s lady of the house, the two women still share afternoon tea and sympathy with Sera perched on a chair and Bhima squatting before her. Bhima is grateful for Sera, for the steady employment, for what she deems friendship and, mostly, for the patronage Sera shows Bhima’s granddaughter Maya. Orphaned as a child when her parents died of AIDS, Bhima raised Maya and Sera saw to her education. Now in college, Maya’s future is like a miracle to the illiterate Bhima—her degree will take them out of the oppressive Bombay slums, guaranteeing Maya a life away from servitude. But in a cruel mirror of Sera’s happiness—her only child Dinaz is expecting her first baby—Bhima finds that Maya is pregnant, has quit school and won’t name the child’s father. As the situation builds to a crisis point, both women reflect on the sorrows of their lives. While Bhima was born into a life of poverty and insurmountable obstacles, Sera’s privileged upbringing didn’t save her from a husband who beat her and a mother-in-law who tormented her. And while Bhima’s marriage begins blissfully, an industrial accident leaves her husband maimed and an alcoholic. He finally deserts her, but not before he bankrupts the family and kidnaps their son. Though Bhima and Sera believe they are mutually devoted, soon decades of confidences are thrown up against the far older rules of the class game.

Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2006

ISBN: 0-06-079155-1

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2005

FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

Share your opinion of this book

More by Thrity Umrigar

BOOK REVIEW

by Thrity Umrigar

THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD

by Claire Lombardo ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019

Characters flip between bottomless self-regard and pitiless self-loathing while, as late as the second-to-last chapter, yet...

Four Chicago sisters anchor a sharp, sly family story of feminine guile and guilt.

Newcomer Lombardo brews all seven deadly sins into a fun and brimming tale of an unapologetically bougie couple and their unruly daughters. In the opening scene, Liza Sorenson, daughter No. 3, flirts with a groomsman at her sister’s wedding. “There’s four of you?” he asked. “What’s that like?” Her retort: “It’s a vast hormonal hellscape. A marathon of instability and hair products.” Thus begins a story bristling with a particular kind of female intel. When Wendy, the oldest, sets her sights on a mate, she “made sure she left her mark throughout his house—soy milk in the fridge, box of tampons under the sink, surreptitious spritzes of her Bulgari musk on the sheets.” Turbulent Wendy is the novel’s best character, exuding a delectable bratty-ness. The parents—Marilyn, all pluck and busy optimism, and David, a genial family doctor—strike their offspring as impossibly happy. Lombardo levels this vision by interspersing chapters of the Sorenson parents’ early lean times with chapters about their daughters’ wobbly forays into adulthood. The central story unfurls over a single event-choked year, begun by Wendy, who unlatches a closed adoption and springs on her family the boy her stuffy married sister, Violet, gave away 15 years earlier. (The sisters improbably kept David and Marilyn clueless with a phony study-abroad scheme.) Into this churn, Lombardo adds cancer, infidelity, a heart attack, another unplanned pregnancy, a stillbirth, and an office crush for David. Meanwhile, youngest daughter Grace perpetrates a whopper, and “every day the lie was growing like mold, furring her judgment.” The writing here is silky, if occasionally overwrought. Still, the deft touches—a neighborhood fundraiser for a Little Free Library, a Twilight character as erotic touchstone—delight. The class calibrations are divine even as the utter apolitical whiteness of the Sorenson world becomes hard to fathom.

Pub Date: June 25, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-385-54425-2

Page Count: 544

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: March 3, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019

LITERARY FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

More About This Book

Mantel, Woodson on Women’s Prize Longlist

SEEN & HEARD

THEN SHE WAS GONE

by Lisa Jewell ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 24, 2018

Dark and unsettling, this novel’s end arrives abruptly even as readers are still moving at a breakneck speed.

Ten years after her teenage daughter went missing, a mother begins a new relationship only to discover she can't truly move on until she answers lingering questions about the past.

Laurel Mack’s life stopped in many ways the day her 15-year-old daughter, Ellie, left the house to study at the library and never returned. She drifted away from her other two children, Hanna and Jake, and eventually she and her husband, Paul, divorced. Ten years later, Ellie’s remains and her backpack are found, though the police are unable to determine the reasons for her disappearance and death. After Ellie’s funeral, Laurel begins a relationship with Floyd, a man she meets in a cafe. She's disarmed by Floyd’s charm, but when she meets his young daughter, Poppy, Laurel is startled by her resemblance to Ellie. As the novel progresses, Laurel becomes increasingly determined to learn what happened to Ellie, especially after discovering an odd connection between Poppy’s mother and her daughter even as her relationship with Floyd is becoming more serious. Jewell’s ( I Found You , 2017, etc.) latest thriller moves at a brisk pace even as she plays with narrative structure: The book is split into three sections, including a first one which alternates chapters between the time of Ellie’s disappearance and the present and a second section that begins as Laurel and Floyd meet. Both of these sections primarily focus on Laurel. In the third section, Jewell alternates narrators and moments in time: The narrator switches to alternating first-person points of view (told by Poppy’s mother and Floyd) interspersed with third-person narration of Ellie’s experiences and Laurel’s discoveries in the present. All of these devices serve to build palpable tension, but the structure also contributes to how deeply disturbing the story becomes. At times, the characters and the emotional core of the events are almost obscured by such quick maneuvering through the weighty plot.

Pub Date: April 24, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5011-5464-5

Page Count: 368

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018

GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SUSPENSE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | SUSPENSE

More by Lisa Jewell

by Lisa Jewell

Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

Member Login
Library Patron Login

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR

FREE NEWSLETTERS

Search: Title Author Article Search String:

BookBrowse Reviews The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

The Space Between Us

by Thrity Umrigar

Critics' Opinion:

Readers' Opinion:

Literary Fiction
Contemporary
Asian Authors
Female Friendships
Strong Women

Rate this book

About this Book

Reading Guide
Media Reviews
Reader Reviews

An intimate portrait of a distant yet familiar world set in modern-day India. Great book club choice

From the book jacket: Poignant, evocative, and unforgettable, The Space Between Us is an intimate portrait of a distant yet familiar world. Set in modern-day India, it is the story of two compelling and achingly real women: Sera Dubash, an upper-middle-class Parsi housewife whose opulent surroundings hide the shame and disappointment of her abusive marriage, and Bhima, a stoic illiterate hardened by a life of despair and loss, who has worked in the Dubash household for more than twenty years. A powerful and perceptive literary masterwork, author Thrity Umrigar's extraordinary novel demonstrates how the lives of the rich and poor are intrinsically connected yet vastly removed from each other, and how the strong bonds of womanhood are eternally opposed by the divisions of class and culture. Comment: Even today, almost every middle-class Indian home employs one or more people to come in to help with the housework and cooking, for the simple reason that labor is cheap in India and, until recently, few people had the labor-saving devices most in the West take for granted. Thrity Umrigar grew up in a middle-class Parsi household in Bombay and became aware, at a very young age, of the complicated and emotionally charged relationship between the mistress of the household and the domestic servant—almost always a woman. It is this relationship that forms the central theme of her second novel , reminiscent of Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance . 65-year-old Bhima (based on a real-life Bombay housekeeper Umigar knew when she was a child) lives in a Bombay slum colony, where she begins each day standing in line for water and for her time-slot at the communal toilet. Abandoned by her husband, her hope lies in her granddaughter Maya, and the prospect that Maya's college education will lift both of them out of poverty. However, in the opening pages we learn that Bhima's dream has been dashed by Maya's pregnancy, which has forced her to abandon her studies. Every day Bhima goes to work at the house of her long time employee, Sera Dubash. Like Bhima, Sera is without a husband (having been widowed) and has a daughter who is pregnant, but unlike Maya's pregnancy, the first child of Dinaz and her husband Viraf is anticipated with joy. Despite the differences in their circumstances, Bhima does not begrudge Sera her wealth and happiness; in fact Sera has been quite generous to Bhima over the years, stretching the established boundaries of the normal employee-maid relationship to allow Bhima to stay in her house while recovering from typhoid, and not only strongly encouraging Maya to go to college but paying for her education. Sera's life, for all its apparent comforts, has not been easy either, both her husband and mother-in-law were abusive, but Sera hid the bruises from everyone except Bhima, with whom she shares a kinship based on shared powerlessness - even now that her husband is dead and her mother-in-law is too weak to be a threat. However, despite the fact that there is a real bond that could be called friendship between the two women, Sera's middle-class prejudices form a solid space between them, Sera is uncomfortable touching Bhima, or even touching items that Bhima has used for her personal use so, despite the fact that Bhima touches everything in the house while washing and cleaning it, when the two women stop for their daily tea and chat, Bhima drinks from the cup set aside for her, and sits on the floor, distanced from Sera in her chair. This long established equilibrium is disturbed by a crisis that threatens to shrink the established space between the two women, forcing Bhima and Sera to question their loyalties. Which comes first, friendship or family, gender or class? When The Space Between Us was first released, Umrigar was concerned that Western readers would think of it as a book about a distant "exotic" culture and miss that the themes she draws on are universal. She points out that The Space Between Us is not a novel about caste (Sera Dubash is a Parsi, see sidebar, not a Hindu, and the Parsi's do not hold to the caste system) but the more universal system of class divisions - what brings us together and what divides us. As Umrigar says in the interview you can read at BookBrowse, the relationship between Sera and Bhima is "not so so different from the American South fifty years ago, when the black maid always had to enter from the back door and took all her meals in the kitchen." She says that she has been delighted that so many readers have picked up on the books themes and been able to apply them to their own conditions and lives.

"Beyond the Book" articles
Free books to read and review (US only)
Find books by time period, setting & theme
Read-alike suggestions by book and author
Book club discussions
and much more!
Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
More about membership!

Beyond the Book: Parsis

Read-alikes.

Genres & Themes

If you liked The Space Between Us, try these:

by Kathryn Stockett

Published 2011

About this book

Winner of BookBrowse's 2009 Reader Awards. Three extraordinary women start a movement that forever changes a small town in 1960s Mississippi, and the way women — mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends — view one another. The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

The Weight of Heaven

Published 2010

More by this author

Filled with satisfyingly real characters and glowing with local color, The Weight of Heaven is a rare glimpse of a family and a country struggling under pressures beyond their control. Umrigar illuminates how slowly we recover from unforgettable loss, how easily good intentions can turn evil, and how far a person will go to build a new world for ...

Support BookBrowse

Join our inner reading circle, go ad-free and get way more!

Find out more

BookBrowse Book Club

Members Recommend

The Stone Home by Crystal Hana Kim

A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.

The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton

As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.

Win This Book

The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu

Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.

Solve this clue:

and be entered to win..

Your guide to exceptional books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info and giveaways by email.

Getting Started
Start a Book Club
Book Club Ideas/Help▼
Our Featured Clubs ▼
Popular Books
Book Reviews
Reading Guides
Blog Home ▼
Find a Recipe
About LitCourse
Course Catalog

‘The Space Between Us’ by Doug Johnstone: A Book Review

Continuing my love-in with the remarkable stable of authors maintained by indie publisher Orenda Books, I’m looking at The Space Between Us, a heartwarming alien-contact novel, reminiscent of Stephen Cox’s Our Child of the Stars . The Space Between Us is the literary embodiment of the late Jo Cox’s statement that “we are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us” In this case, the “we” is a disparate group of people from Scotland and a sentient hive-mind of alien cephalopods .

What Is The Space Between Us ?

Like many great sci-fi novels (well, Day of the Triffids) the novel opens with a meteor shower. Nobody goes blind but it does cause an unprecedented number of catastrophic strokes. Three of the people affected, however, suffer no ill effects. Though completely different, all with their own troubles, the three find themselves drawn together, after leaving hospital. Drawn together and to an Edinburgh beach where a mysterious octopus has washed up.

Lennox is a teenager, approaching his majority, a long-term ward of the care system. Ava is 8 months pregnant and trapped in a coercive relationship. Heather has terminal cancer. Together they are drawn towards Sandy, the creature washed up on the beach. As they approach, each of them can commune with Sandy, each in a subtly different way. They all discover a deep and gentle hive mind.

Inevitably, darker forces also want to investigate Sandy, so the three take drastic action that leads to a chase across Scotland. As the journey continues they learn more about the alien, its home planet, and the rest of the hive. They also discover hidden reserves of determination and come face to face with their own inner demons. In order to save Sandy, this unlikely trio has to face the troubles and failures in their own lives.

Why Read The Space Between Us ?

There’s lots of great stuff going on in this book. Firstly, it’s effortless reading; I inhaled the book over a couple of days. The story of each character in the book is extremely compelling. Every chapter is filled with hooks that keep you reading, long after you should have put the book down and gone to sleep, done some work, or fed the kids.

There’s a wonderful 4th human character too. Ewan is a veteran local newspaper reporter. Disillusioned by how social media is eroding good journalism and pushed to the margins by obsolescence, Ewan senses an opportunity for a big story. Determined to find the truth, he too comes under Sandy’s sway, becoming a fourth person helping the cause. For me, Ewan is the glue in the binding that holds the book together (possibly just because he was close to me in age and obsolescence). The George Harrison of the novel, if you will.

I’m struggling to articulate why The Space Between Us is such a good novel without spoilers. The story arcs contained within are pitched perfectly; moving, compelling, and very real. No thread outstays its welcome and each is as vital to the plot as every other. This is not one of those books where you want to skip over one narrative so you can go back to the one you prefer. They all demand to be avidly followed.

Ultimately the book is about what makes us human, told through a Close Encounters of the Third Kind type of narrative. A journey across the rugged beauty of Scotland, to preserve something out of this world, lays bare the strength and frailties of humanity. The Space Between Us is a moving novel that very much espouses the idea that there is a hero inside us all.

It aims to demonstrate that despite our differences, most of us are decent and honest, and will always attempt to support what is right and ethical. Modern media, and news reports, make it easy to be cynical and think the worst of the 7 billion inhabitants of this planet. Yes, there are bad people who do horrible things, but they are in the minority. Most of us are just bumbling on, trying to get the day done. Books like The Space Between Us are a reminder that when put under pressure, most of us will step up and try to do the right thing.

If you would like to pick up a copy of The Space Between Us you can do so here, in the US , and here, in the UK (Affiliate Links).

If you enjoyed this review, check out my other book reviews, here.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to write this review.

Work Together to Survive ‘The Mysterious Forest’

Logarithm Sleuth ‘The CS Detective’ Excerpt

Ecko Spary is a dead ringer for a spray paint can

GeekDad Review: Ecko Spray Portable Bluetooth Wireless Speaker

Jen Med's Book Reviews

Musings and Ramblings of a Disorganised Blogger

The Space Between Us by Doug Johnstone

I am absolutely delighted to finally share my thoughts on The Space Between Us by Doug Johnstone. I was very fortunate to receive a very early copy of this book and read it over the Christmas break. My thanks to Orenda Books for trusting me with an early read, and to Anne Cater for the blog tour invite. Here’s what the book is all about:

About the Book

When three people suffer strokes after seeing dazzling lights over Edinburgh, then awake completely recovered, they’re convinced their ordeal is connected to the alien creature discovered on a nearby beach… an adrenaline-soaked, deeply humane, life-affirming first-contact novel from one of Scotland’s most revered authors… Lennox is a troubled teenager with no family. Ava is eight months pregnant and fleeing her abusive husband. Heather is a grieving mother and cancer sufferer. They don’t know each other, but when a meteor streaks over Edinburgh, all three suffer instant, catastrophic strokes… …only to wake up the following day in hospital, miraculously recovered. When news reaches them of an octopus-like creature washed up on the shore near where the meteor came to earth, Lennox senses that some extra-terrestrial force is at play. With the help of Ava, Heather and a journalist, Ewan, he rescues the creature they call ‘Sandy’ and goes on the run. But they aren’t the only ones with an interest in the alien … close behind are Ava’s husband, the police and a government unit who wants to capture the creature, at all costs. And Sandy’s arrival may have implications beyond anything anyone could imagine…

My Thoughts

I do not read sci-fi. Just putting it out there before I am inundated with review requests. It’s not my preferred genre and whilst I have a very scientific mind, it’s just not a genre I’ve ever been engaged by. If there was one author I would be willing to make an exception for, then it is Doug Johnstone. I love his writing style and I know that he can be trusted to deliver a book which goes far beyond what the blurb may suggest. This is absolutely the case with The Space Between Us which, whilst having it’s roots – or perhaps tentacles – in science-fiction, goes far beyond a simple first contact story with a being from another planet, into a story which is an exquisite look at human nature, a need to find our place in life, and the trials and harsh tribulations we endure on our journey. Yes, Sandy – the alien life form in question – is an intrinsic part of this story, the reason that binds three very different people in one united quest, but they are not all this story is about. They are a conduit, a channel through which our focus and attention flies while we contemplate the much bigger picture. Loss, loneliness, and domestic violence all feature and inform the story combining to create a novel which I didn’t want to end. The story begins as our three main protagonists face very different twists in their fate. Lennox is a teenager living in care, faced with the wrath of some local bullies. Heavily pregnant Eva is trying to find a way to escape an abusive marriage. Heather is deep in grief, mourning the loss of her daughter and her own failing health. All of them have one thing in common – they are all outside when a mysterious light passes over Edinburgh, one which causes people to black out and to suffer from debilitating, if not fatal, strokes. The three make a miraculous recovery, and, drawn together by their experience, set out to find out just why they thrived where others did not. This brings them face to tentacle with ‘Sandy’, an octopus style creature which has washed up on a nearby shore. For me, the wonderful characters that Doug Johnstone has developed are what really drew me into the story. I could really feel Lennox’s defiance and his need to feel like he belongs. The bond he formed with Sandy, that closeness that surpasses anything that Ava or Heather feel, really enthralled me. The communication between them, the understanding, is reminiscent of the bond between a certain short legged, waddling alien with an obscenely long finger from a well loved 80’s movie, and his new friend Ell-ee-ot, but there is so much more to Sandy, a real cognisance which helps to develop our understanding of what is happening. It is a beautiful bond. As for Ava, her journey is as much emotional as it is a literal. Breaking free from a marriage marred by coercive control and a constant threat of violence, and reconnecting with family she though lost is truly moving, portrayed in a way which creates as much anger as it does sympathy. As for Heather, she created a mixture of emotions. At times she seems strong and fully in control, and yet the sense of loss emanates from her and her vulnerability and sadness is always there, just below the surface. Doug Johnstone is a master at manipulating our emotions and he does a brilliant job here. I felt myself willing them to succeed, not only in their quest to help Sandy, but in their personal journey. And the literal journey is fraught with danger, as they are persued not only by Ava’s husband but by people who want to take Sandy for their own fortunes. Sandy is an amazingly well imagined creature. I was actually really drawn to them, so much so I really think we need a line in Sandy plushies to accompany the book. But their journey is far more than just a bid to return home, They too are looking for a place to belong, a safe haven from violence which is very reminiscent of scenes far less galactic and much closer to home. There is a socio-political statement wrapped up in this book, subtle but effective. Its about displacement through invasion, the search for safe haven and, more importantly, finding a way to communicate even when the barriers are far more substantial than the lack of a Sandy-Scottish Duolingo course. I wish I could adequately convey how much I loved this book. I know I’ve made a horlicks of it so far. But if you are looking for beautifully lyrical writing, a heartwarming, fast paced, often tense look at friendships that surpass all boundaries, an exploration of the very basic need for connection and a place to belong, then this is the book for you. As I said before, I don’t read Sci-Fi, but I wouldn’t hesitate for one minute to recommend this book. It’s divine. Only one thing left to say really. It’s getting one of these:

About the Author

Doug Johnstone is the author of twelve novels, most recently The Great Silence, the third in the Skelfs series, which has been optioned for TV. In 2021,The Big Chill, the second in the series, was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. In 2020, A Dark Matter, the first in the series, was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and the Capital Crime Amazon Publishing Independent Voice Book of the Year award. Black Hearts (Book four), will be published in 2022. Several of his books have been best sellers and award winners, and his work has been praised by the likes of Val McDermid, Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions, and has been an arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also player-manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh.

Follow the tour:

If you liked this please share the #booklove

5 thoughts on “ the space between us by doug johnstone ”.

Oh Jeeez. I’ve loved all his previous novels but didn’t ask for this one because it was touted as SciFi. Sounds like I made a mistake…😕

Like Liked by 1 person

It’s definitely not your average sci-fi. I really enjoyed it as it’s about so much more than first contact.

Thanks for the blog tour support x

My pleasure

Pingback: Rewind, Recap: Weekly Update W/E 19/03/23 – Jen Med's Book Reviews

Comments are closed.

501,629 hits

Bookollective

Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Subscribe Subscribed
Copy shortlink
Report this content
View post in Reader
Manage subscriptions
Collapse this bar

The Space Between Us

52 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Book 1, Chapter 8

Book 1, Chapter 9-Book 2, Chapter 14

Book 2, Chapters 15-19

Book 2, Chapters 20-25

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Summary and Study Guide

The Space Between Us (2006) is a novel by Thrity Umrigar following the lives of two Indian women from vastly different backgrounds—wealthy and educated Sera Dubash and Bhima , Sera’s older and uneducated domestic worker. The novel uses the extreme socio-economic gap between the two women to explore themes of India’s Social Fabric of Class, Caste, Gender, and Religion , the Misogyny and Abuse in Relationships woven into India’s patriarchy, and the use of Education as a Vehicle for Social Mobility .

Thrity Umrigar is an award-winning Indian American journalist, writer, and professor. She has penned novels, children’s picture books, and a memoir . Born and raised in India, she arrived in the US when she was 21, where she has lived and worked ever since. Several of her books have been best-sellers, including her first novel, Bombay Time (2001), The Space Between Us , and its sequel, The Secrets Between Us (2018). The Space Between Us was also a finalist for the PEN / Beyond Margins award (“ Contact & Bio .” Thrity Umrigar ).

Get access to this full Study Guide and much more!

7,450+ In-Depth Study Guides
4,900+ Quick-Read Plot Summaries
Downloadable PDFs

This guide is based on the 2011 Harper Perennial Edition.

Plot Summary

The SuperSummary difference

8x more resources than SparkNotes and CliffsNotes combined
Study Guides you won ' t find anywhere else
100+ new titles every month

Bhima is a 65-year-old domestic worker for a wealthy Parsi woman named Sera Dubash in Bombay (current Mumbai). Despite their different backgrounds, both women have led troubled lives with shared marital issues. The narrative recounts their stories in flashbacks interspersed throughout the present day.

Bhima’s husband, Gopal, was a factory worker, and had an accident while working with faulty machinery. He lost three fingers on his right hand. While Gopal was in the hospital, the accountant at the factory tricked Bhima, who can’t read, into signing a contract that entitled Gopal to only a single lump-sum payment of 1,000 rupees (about 12 USD today). A devastated Gopal begins drinking heavily, rendering him unable to hold any other job.

The family struggles to make ends meet with only Bhima and her daughter Pooja working. They are forced to move out of their apartment in the chawl and into a nearby slum. Tensions rise when Bhima finds Gopal at the liquor bootlegger’s, having left their sick son, Amit, alone at home. Furious, Bhima repeatedly hits Gopal with a broom, and Gopal beats Bhima. Five days later, he leaves Bhima for good, taking Amit with him; she never hears from either of them again.

Bhima single-handedly raises Pooja. Pooja eventually marries and moves away to Delhi when her husband, Raju, gets a job there. When their daughter, Maya, is seven, Raju and Pooja both die of AIDS. Bhima brings Maya to live with her. When Sera sees how intelligent the young girl is, Sera takes responsibility for her education. Sera puts Maya through school and helps her get into a college.

Sera married Feroz Dubash in her late twenties. The first years of her marriage are spent living with her husband’s parents. Early on, Sera realizes that her mother-in-law is cruel and bad-tempered, which Feroz inherited. Raised by gentle-natured, cultured, and well-educated parents, Sera experiences years of physical and emotional abuse from her husband and his family. When her daughter, Dinaz , is still young, Sera takes her daughter to live with her own parents. Feroz’s father, who loves Sera dearly, buys a second apartment for the couple to live in separately, away from Feroz’s mother, and begs Sera to return. Feroz’s abuse continues within this separate home, and the only person who knows the truth is Bhima.

Feroz’s father passes away and his mother has a stroke that leaves her paralyzed. Shortly after, Feroz dies of a heart attack. Dinaz and her husband, Viraf, move in with Sera, who has become lonely and reclusive. Sera continues to oversee her mother-in-law’s care, despite how much she hates her mother-in-law.

The book begins a couple of years after Feroz’s death. Dinaz is pregnant and so is 17-year-old unwed Maya, who has dropped out of college because of her pregnancy. Bhima confides in Sera, who thinks abortion is the best way out. Bhima wants to try and find the father and see if he can be persuaded to marry Maya and give her a respectable life. Maya eventually names one of her college classmates, but when Bhima confronts him, she realizes that Maya lied about him being the father.

Viraf asserts that they must get Maya an abortion as soon as possible. He gets a recommendation for a doctor from one of his friends. Maya finally agrees on the one condition that Sera be the one to accompany her for the procedure. Sera agrees and is surprised to find Maya uncharacteristically sullen and bitter toward her.

Months later, Maya continues to be withdrawn, refusing to resume her studies or even find work. Bhima begins taking her to the seaside for chaat to cheer her up. On Maya’s insistence, Bhima tells her stories from the past, including Gopal’s accident and Raju and Pooja’s deaths. She also tells Maya about an Afghan balloon seller who used to sell his wares on the seaside when Amit and Pooja were younger. Bhima always wondered how he felt about leaving his home and family. Bhima wishes she had asked him the secret to living with loneliness.

On one evening out, Bhima and Maya encounter Sera, Viraf, and Dinaz, who are also out to satisfy Dinaz’s chaat cravings. Bhima notices that Viraf looks guilty when interacting with Maya and realizes that he was the father. She angrily confronts Maya, who in turn accuses Bhima for assuming Maya to be the guilty one and apportioning no blame to Viraf. Bhima softens and Maya finally tells her the whole story: When temporarily working as a caretaker for Sera’s mother-in-law, Viraf unexpectedly arrived one evening. He was agitated and angry with Dinaz, with whom he had fought, and approached Maya. After they had sex, he told Maya that she did a bad thing by tempting and taking advantage of him when he was weak. Viraf told her she shouldn’t tell anyone else what happened, leaving Maya feeling ashamed and remorseful.

Filled with hate for Viraf, Bhima decides to confront him and breaks down crying instead. She realizes she will never tell Dinaz and Sera the truth. They have always been good to her, and she doesn’t want to hurt them. Shortly after, Viraf accuses Bhima of having stolen money, and in her anger, Bhima inadvertently tells the truth about Viraf and Maya in front of Sera. Sera immediately dismisses Bhima, forbidding her from ever returning to the household for dishonoring her family. Heartbroken, Bhima visits the seaside and remembers the Afghan balloon seller , imagining his voice soothing and comforting her. Her pain disappears, and she feels a newfound sense of freedom. The novel ends as Bhima watches the sea, resolving to face the future for Maya’s sake.

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now

Related Titles

By Thrity Umrigar

Thrity Umrigar

Featured Collections

Asian American & Pacific Islander...

View Collection

Indian Literature

Loyalty & Betrayal

Poverty & Homelessness

Literature & Fiction
Genre Fiction

Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Amazon Prime includes:

Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.

Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access

Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.

Buy new: $13.76 $13.76 FREE delivery: Saturday, April 27 on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon. Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com

Return this item for free.

Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges

Go to your orders and start the return
Select the return method

Buy used: $12.69

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime.

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Learn more about the program.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

The Space Between Us: A Novel Paperback – Deckle Edge, May 3, 2011

Purchase options and add-ons.

“This is a story intimately and compassionately told against the sensuous background of everyday life in Bombay.” — Washington Post Book World

“Bracingly honest.” —New York Times Book Review

A beautifully designed Harper Perennial Deluxe Edition of Thrity Umrigar's critically acclaimed and bestselling novel—a luminous, unforgettable story of honor, tradition, class, gender, and family set in modern-day India.

The Space Between Us is the story of two compelling and achingly real women: Sera Dubash, an upper-middle-class Parsi housewife whose opulent surroundings hide the shame and disappointment of her abusive marriage, and Bhima, a stoic illiterate hardened by a life of despair and loss, who has worked in the Dubash household for more than twenty years. A powerful and perceptive literary masterwork, Umrigar's extraordinary novel demonstrates how the lives of the rich and poor are intrinsically connected yet vastly removed from each other, and how the strong bonds of womanhood are eternally opposed by the divisions of class and culture. It is a story that echoes the timeless intensity of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God , Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , and Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible —a quintessential triumph of modern literary fiction.

Book 1 of 2 Between Us
Print length 352 pages
Language English
Publication date May 3, 2011
Dimensions 5.5 x 0.88 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10 9780062067890
ISBN-13 978-0062067890
See all details

Frequently bought together

Similar items that may deliver to you quickly

Editorial Reviews

“Umrigar is a perceptive and often piercing writer.... Her portrait of Sera as a woman unable to transcend her middle-class skin feels bracingly honest.” — New York Times Book Review

“[ The Space Between Us ] is a great book; I love it.... I couldn’t stop reading until Bhima had her amazing epiphany of freedom at the edge of the sea. I am so happy for Thrity Umrigar! And proud of her as a woman, too.... It is so precious to have a book about a woman one rarely even “sees” in society, whether Indian or American.” — Alice Walker on THE SPACE BETWEEN US

“Remarkable.... What makes The Space Between Us so engrossing is its ability to make readers feel empathy for its subjects.... To read Umrigar’s novel is to catch a glimpse of a foreign culture, for better and for worse. Yet while the class divide between Bhima and Sera provides much of the conflict in The Space Between Us, it isn’t the only source of disagreement. Class colors everything, but in the end, Umrigar shows, every one of life’s ups and downs are available to us all.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“Thrity Umrigar has created two wonderfully sympathetic characters who do much to make [India’s] complex nature comprehensible.... This is a story intimately and compassionately told against the sensuous background of everyday life in Bombay.... The life of the privileged is harshly measured against the life of the powerless, but empathy and compassion are evoked by both strong women, each of whom is forced to make a separate choice. Umrigar is a skilled storyteller, and her memorable characters will live on for a long time.” — Frances Itani, Washington Post Book World

“With humanity and suspense, novelist Thrity Umrigar tackles love, loyalty, injustice - and survival.” — Marie Claire

“Umrigar renders a collection of compelling and complex characters, from kind, conflicted Sera to fiercely devoted Bhima. Sadness suffuses this eloquent tale, whose heart-stopping plot twists reveal the ferocity of fate.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Set in contemporary Bombay, Umrigar’s second novel is an affecting portrait of a woman and her maid, whose lives, despite class disparity, are equally heartbreaking.... A subtle, elegant analysis of class and power. Umrigar transcends the specifics of two Bombay women and creates a novel that quietly roars against tyranny.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Poignant.” — Entertainment Weekly

“Umrigar’s schematic novel illustrates the intimacy, and the irreconcilable class divide, between two women in contemporary Bombay.... Umrigar’s writing achieves clarity.” — Publishers Weekly

“From page one, Thrity Umrigar’s novel thrusts us into a story that’s at once heartbreaking and soothing. Chronicling the tumultuous lives of two women, The Space Between Us doesn’t flinch from its scrutiny of human suffering; then it gently, gently guides us toward healing.” — Samrat Upadhyay, author of The Royal Ghosts

“A deeply affecting novel about a wealthy widow and her maid, who form a bond across the gulfs of class and status in modern-day Bombay.” — Life magazine

“Sadness suffuses this eloquent tale, whose heart-stopping plot twists reveal the ferocity of fate.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Heartbreaking.... A subtle, elegant analysis of class and power... that quietly roars against tyranny.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Intimately and compassionately told.... Sensuous.... Umrigar’s memorable characters will live on for a long time.” — Frances Itani, Washington Post Book World

“Umrigar is a perceptive and often piercing writer.” — New York Times Book Review

“[The Space Between Us] is provocative and disturbing.” — Boston Globe

“Umrigar is a highly skilled storyteller...the novel’s plot and depth of characterisation provide irresistible momentum.” — Time Out New York

“Umrigar’s imagery, gorgeous yet unflinching in its realism, creates a rich picture of Indian society in Bombay, from slum to skyscraper. Her symbolism is lovely.” — Charlotte Observer

"The Space Between Us is a novel that is hard to forget." — The Times (London)

From the Back Cover

Poignant, evocative, and unforgettable, The Space Between Us is an intimate portrait of a distant yet familiar world. Set in modern-day India, it is the story of two compelling and achingly real women: Sera Dubash, an upper-middle-class Parsi housewife whose opulent surroundings hide the shame and disappointment of her abusive marriage, and Bhima, a stoic illiterate hardened by a life of despair and loss, who has worked in the Dubash household for more than twenty years. A powerful and perceptive literary masterwork, author Thrity Umrigar's extraordinary novel demonstrates how the lives of the rich and poor are intrinsically connected yet vastly removed from each other, and how the strong bonds of womanhood are eternally opposed by the divisions of class and culture.

About the Author

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.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0062067893
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial Modern Classics; First Edition first Printing (May 3, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780062067890
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062067890
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.88 x 8.25 inches
#1,799 in Cultural Heritage Fiction
#7,639 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
#24,026 in Literary Fiction (Books)

About the author

Thrity umrigar.

Thrity Umrigar is the best-selling author of ten novels, including The Museum of Failures, Honor, Bombay Time, The Space Between Us, The Secrets Between Us, If Today Be Sweet, The Weight of Heaven, The World We Found and The Story Hour. She is also the author of the memoir, First Darling of the Morning and three picture books for kids--When I Carried You in My Belly, Binny's Diwali and Sugar in Milk. Honor is a Reese Book Club pick. Her books have been translated into several languages and published in over fifteen countries. She is a Distinguished University Professor of English at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Newsletter
About Amazon
Accessibility
Sustainability
Press Center
Investor Relations
Amazon Devices
Amazon Science
Sell on Amazon
Sell apps on Amazon
Supply to Amazon
Protect & Build Your Brand
Become an Affiliate
Become a Delivery Driver
Start a Package Delivery Business
Advertise Your Products
Self-Publish with Us
Become an Amazon Hub Partner
› See More Ways to Make Money
Amazon Visa
Amazon Store Card
Amazon Secured Card
Amazon Business Card
Shop with Points
Credit Card Marketplace
Reload Your Balance
Amazon Currency Converter
Your Account
Your Orders
Shipping Rates & Policies
Amazon Prime
Returns & Replacements
Manage Your Content and Devices
Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
Conditions of Use
Privacy Notice
Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
Your Ads Privacy Choices

Literature & Fiction
Genre Fiction

Buy new: $23.21 $23.21 FREE delivery: Thursday, April 25 Ships from: Amazon.ca Sold by: Amazon.ca

Buy used: $17.00.

Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfilment centres, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA products qualify for FREE Shipping

If you're a seller, Fulfilment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Learn more about the program.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera, scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

To view this video, download Flash Player

Follow the author

The Space Between Us: A Novel Paperback – Deckle Edge, May 3 2011

Purchase options and add-ons.

ISBN-10 9780062067890
ISBN-13 978-0062067890
Publication date May 3 2011
Book 1 of 2 Between Us
Language English
Dimensions 13.97 x 2.24 x 20.96 cm
Print length 352 pages
See all details

Frequently bought together

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

From the Publisher

At HarperCollins, authors and their work are at the center of everything we do. We are proud to provide our authors with unprecedented editorial excellence, marketing reach, long-standing connections with booksellers, and insight into reader and consumer behavior. Consistently at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement, HarperCollins also uses digital technology to create unique reading experiences and expand the reach of our authors.

HarperCollins was founded by brothers James and John Harper in New York City in 1817 as J. and J. Harper, later Harper & Brothers. In 1987, as Harper & Row, it was acquired by News Corporation. The worldwide book group was formed following News Corporation's 1990 acquisition of the British publisher William Collins & Sons. Founded in 1819, William Collins & Sons published a range of Bibles, atlases, dictionaries, and reissued classics, expanding over the years to include legendary authors such as H. G. Wells, Agatha Christie, J. R. R. Tolkien, and C. S. Lewis.

The house of Mark Twain, the Brontë sisters, Thackeray, Dickens, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Maurice Sendak, Shel Silverstein, and Margaret Wise Brown, HarperCollins has a long and rich history that reaches back to the early nineteenth century and offers our publishing team a depth of experience.

Product description