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A review by brewsandbooks
Honor by Thrity Umrigar
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I really liked the start of this book. I enjoyed the analysis of conservative parts of India and how Umrigar assesses gender politics and the caste system. I also thought that she did a deft job of reminding people that there are issues everywhere and this is the particular area she is writing about. I really thought Umrigar handled the politics that go on in cases like these with sympathy and understanding, while still removing herself when she writes about characters she dislikes. I believe that is due to her being a journalist, and really applaud it.
That said, I do find a little bit of holding me back, and there are two things in particular. First of all, the ending was a bit too "cinematic" for me. It pushed off the most interesting portions of the novel for the happy ending of a few characters, and I felt it almost minimized the importance of the rest. I am not saying that these characters don't deserve a happy ending or that we didn't deserve closure. Moreso I felt like the most important parts of the novel were ignored.
Second, I almost felt that the way Umrigar wrote this falls into something I often see. It is the impassive character watching and learning from the most important characters. Because honestly, the best portions of this novel came from Meena's perspective. She was wonderful, she had complex thoughts about the world she was born into, and what it meant to fall in love with someone outside her religion. I almost wanted the whole book to be majority her story, because I felt she could really do the story justice. It felt at times that seeing it through Smitha's eyes made Meena appear smaller and a bit more one-dimensional. It also fell into something that Umrigar commented on, writing for Western voyeurism. I also wish there had been more commentary from Smitha on what happens in other countries. It's stated a lot, but with what happens in this book, it would be helpful to have that context if we are looking through the eyes of a gender right's journalist. It just felt a bit too easy to always convince Smitha and Mohan of the other's perspective instead of asking us, the reader, to have complex emotions. And I really felt that if we saw more through Meena's eyes, we would have gotten that.
That said, I do find a little bit of holding me back, and there are two things in particular. First of all, the ending was a bit too "cinematic" for me. It pushed off the most interesting portions of the novel for the happy ending of a few characters, and I felt it almost minimized the importance of the rest. I am not saying that these characters don't deserve a happy ending or that we didn't deserve closure. Moreso I felt like the most important parts of the novel were ignored.
Second, I almost felt that the way Umrigar wrote this falls into something I often see. It is the impassive character watching and learning from the most important characters. Because honestly, the best portions of this novel came from Meena's perspective. She was wonderful, she had complex thoughts about the world she was born into, and what it meant to fall in love with someone outside her religion. I almost wanted the whole book to be majority her story, because I felt she could really do the story justice. It felt at times that seeing it through Smitha's eyes made Meena appear smaller and a bit more one-dimensional. It also fell into something that Umrigar commented on, writing for Western voyeurism. I also wish there had been more commentary from Smitha on what happens in other countries. It's stated a lot, but with what happens in this book, it would be helpful to have that context if we are looking through the eyes of a gender right's journalist. It just felt a bit too easy to always convince Smitha and Mohan of the other's perspective instead of asking us, the reader, to have complex emotions. And I really felt that if we saw more through Meena's eyes, we would have gotten that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual assault