Synopsis of The Space Between Us from inside flap:
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 hid 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. This 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.
Well, we're quickly coming to the end of this breathtaking story and I will be sad to see it come to a close. Here are some bullet points from my reading of Chapters 16-20.
- workers are a dime a dozen, and illiterate is the way the boss man likes them.
- women and girls have little value. Only boys need to be educated.
- Bhima faces humiliation daily by her lack of education.
- Bhima's world changes quickly after her husband is hurt on the job. He quickly spirals into alcoholism and takes his anger out on Bhima.
- Living in a Bhaleshwar slum is better than living in the streets.
- Bhima's shame for not being able to read is what drives her fierce desire that Maya continue with college. This is her only goal!
Food and lots of it:
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Bhelpuri |
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Chappatis |
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Milk Kulfi |
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Panipuri |
I'm enjoying these updates even without reading along... but I know I need to read this book!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a powerful and informative book! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
ReplyDeleteMmmm that food looks yummy
ReplyDeleteI love your pictures! The Bhelpuri looks great - I'm going to chase that down and see what's in it!
ReplyDeleteFascinating updates...and the photos of food are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI need to visit my friend who is a proficient cook of Indian food!
Wow, those photos are making me realize it's been way too long since I had Indian food! The book sounds really interesting - it's going on my "new finds" list.
ReplyDeleteThis was a book I really enjoyed. I love reading books set in India and about people from India who emigrate to the U.S.
ReplyDeleteWe might have already discussed this; but my favorite book of all time is The Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.
Looks like a really worthwhile read - thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteHannah
This sounds like a good book. Your descriptions remind me a bit of Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh, which I just loved (though Sea of Poppies is set during a different time than The Space Between Us.
ReplyDeleteI haven't posted on this book in two weeks but only because I finished it and haven't found time to seperate my thoughts. I'm still thinking about the end - it's a very good book, better than The Weight of Heaven (my opinion).
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing book this must be! I'm so glad you're loving it so much. I adore the cover - and I hope to read this one day soon.
ReplyDeleteLove the pics of the food, thank you so much for posting them Staci! I was wondering what the food looked like but didn't think about looking up the dishes, silly me!
ReplyDeleteMy heart breaks for Bhima when Gopal's personality changes so drastically. She's living for Maya now, as you said. I wish she would push Maya to go back to school rather than let her just hang around home!
Great post!
~ Amy
Thanks for posting the pictures of the food! I've been wondering about the dishes Umrigar has mentioned but just haven't had the time to look into them.
ReplyDeleteArgh--I got so mad at Gopal in these chapters. I know what happened to him was awful and he really did hit rock bottom. But he really seemed to blame Bhima entirely for what happened - even though it probably wouldn't have mattered if she had been able to read.
I am also loving these little bullet points. I would also like to read this one even though the injustices will make me scream. Americans always complain but maybe if they read books like these, they would think twice. THanks Staci :)
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