The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar– 336 pages
Book Blurb:
An experienced psychologist, Maggie carefully maintains emotional distance from her patients. But when she meets a young Indian woman who tried to kill herself, her professional detachment disintegrates. Cut off from her family in India, Lakshmi is desperately lonely and trapped in a loveless marriage to a domineering man who limits her world to their small restaurant and grocery store.
Moved by her plight, Maggie treats Lakshmi in her home office for free, quickly realizing that the despondent woman doesn’t need a shrink; she needs a friend. Determined to empower Lakshmi as a woman who feels valued in her own right, Maggie abandons protocol, and soon doctor and patient have become close friends.
But while their relationship is deeply affectionate, it is also warped by conflicting expectations. When Maggie and Lakshmi open up and share long-buried secrets, the revelations will jeopardize their close bond, shake their faith in each other, and force them to confront painful choices.
My Review: 3 stars
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Once again, this acclaimed author takes on a book about friendship, gender and class, however it doesn’t rank nearly as high as her earlier work, The Space Between Us. I appreciate her risk at using improper dialect for Lakshimi, but after a while, it became annoying. Not so much in her dialogue, but more when she was thinking…wouldn’t she think in her native language? I also applaud her for making an unlikeable character in Maggie, if that was her original intent. She was cold and bitchy yet adored by her doting husband. Lakshimi’s story was more interesting and her stories about India kept the plot moving. I liked her spirit and through her stories, the reader got to understand her and her motives. However, now that I’m reflecting on it, I’m not sure I completely grasped neither the relationship nor the relevance of the elephant.
Overall, the unlikely friendship of these two women was unique for the time it lasted. It portrayed the value and importance of just having someone to listen and to talk with.
Quotes I Liked:
Maybe friendship was the best therapy…”
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