A review by aziziansahar
Honor by Thrity Umrigar

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

In the beginning it was tough to read the way Smita described India, obviously it had to do with her experiences when she was young but it felt disdainful but at a very surface level. Almost as if the author was only trying to relate the flaws of India with the stereotypes that white audiences would easily grasp. As someone from the Middle East/ South Asia crossroads, I understand the complicated and nuanced feelings that come with being from there while raised in the West, and a lot of times felt like I could relate to how Smita felt but a lot of her criticisms really pushed a western centric narrative… which I guess was the point. I just think Smita’s perspective was a little unrealistic of someone who was an Indian American. While I was reading what she had to say about India towards the beginning of the book it just read as a white girl who doesn’t understand the culture, but Smita is Indian and spent her childhood and a bit of her teenage life there. You can dislike and hate your country of origin but I just think it would come with less of an ignorant attitude towards it. 

I was very interested with Meena’s story as well which I applaud the author for. Dual perspective stories tend to fall flat on one perspective for me so I’m typically impressed when all parts of the story keep me intrigued. I know the events that happened in the story happen more often than we think and they deserve more attention. I’m happy to read books with diverse characters and ones that I felt connected to myself as a POC. 
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