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A review by yvespiders
Honor by Thrity Umrigar
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
2.0
Honor is an example of how a good idea can be executed poorly. I appreciate that the novel tries to make readers aware of urgent issues around Islamophobia and misogyny in a specific cultural context. But the execution of these ideas fell flat and was at times problematic.
Despite what others have said about the "beautiful writing", I found the writing to be grating and unbearable at times. The novel was very heavy handed in hinting at a plot reveal and there was an excessive amount of over explaining, using the main character Smita's internal thoughts. I admit that this may be a matter of taste, as I prefer it when authors give me some room to interpret the text and think for myself.
The more problematic issue I had with Honor is that despite including a few paragraphs towards the end criticizing news outlets for promoting the consumption of poverty porn and trauma porn for privileged audiences in the States, I found that the novel perpetuated just that. I don't usually have an issue with graphic details, as long as it is done carefully and meaningfully; however, there is a part of the novel that described a sexual, traumatic event involving a child . And again, because of the writing style, it was drenched in over-explanation and heavy-handedness. I felt that the excessive details did not add anything new to what was already conveyed and it was just a terrible experience reading through that part.
I find it interesting that many of the positive reviews for this novel seem to come from readers who did not know much about the social-cultural issues mentioned in the book, and who possibly may be coming from a place of privilege. (I mean...it was endorsed by Reese Witherspoon FFS.) I would be more interested in hearing the opinions about Honor from a Muslim woman of Indian descent, particularly about the tragic events described in the text and the characterization of Smita and her parents and Meena's husband. I also felt that the novel could have delved deeper into the social-cultural issues that were mentioned and explained why these problems are still occurring in India today. This fictional take on very real issues was superficial to me.
Suffice to say, I did not enjoy this book. I'll give it credit for not being boring (I did finish it after all).
Despite what others have said about the "beautiful writing", I found the writing to be grating and unbearable at times. The novel was very heavy handed in hinting at a plot reveal and there was an excessive amount of over explaining, using the main character Smita's internal thoughts. I admit that this may be a matter of taste, as I prefer it when authors give me some room to interpret the text and think for myself.
The more problematic issue I had with Honor is that despite including a few paragraphs towards the end criticizing news outlets for promoting the consumption of poverty porn and trauma porn for privileged audiences in the States, I found that the novel perpetuated just that. I don't usually have an issue with graphic details, as long as it is done carefully and meaningfully; however, there is a part of the novel that described
I find it interesting that many of the positive reviews for this novel seem to come from readers who did not know much about the social-cultural issues mentioned in the book, and who possibly may be coming from a place of privilege. (I mean...it was endorsed by Reese Witherspoon FFS.) I would be more interested in hearing the opinions about Honor from a Muslim woman of Indian descent, particularly about the tragic events described in the text and the characterization of Smita and her parents and Meena's husband. I also felt that the novel could have delved deeper into the social-cultural issues that were mentioned and explained why these problems are still occurring in India today. This fictional take on very real issues was superficial to me.
Suffice to say, I did not enjoy this book. I'll give it credit for not being boring (I did finish it after all).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Islamophobia, and Death of parent