The Space Between Us, (Paperback)

from LynnB

This is a story of gender and class, set in India. Sera and her servant, Bhima, have much in common as women in a patriarchial society. They are bound by betrayals by their husbands, by the love of their children...but they are separated by class in a way that never allows them to fully acknowled...

from jennyo

One day someone's going to write a Happy Indian Novel. This one's not it. But it is a powerful and moving story about prejudice and poverty in modern day Bombay. Sera, a middle class Parsi woman, and Bhima, her servant, are the main characters. And it's their relationship that most clearly shows ...

from lauralkeet

In this novel, Thrity Umrigar explores issues of social class and the ways in which class impacts life experience and relationships. Sera is a wealthy Indian woman who suffered in an unhappy and violent marriage. Bhima is her servant, living in extreme poverty with her orphaned granddaughter Maya...

from countrylife

The story centers on two families - of Sera, the mistress, and of Bhima, the servant. On gender and class distinctions in Indian culture; on some issues touching not just India, like aids and abortion; and on universal personal problems like loneliness, marital upheavals and mothering. The author...

from nittnut

This was a beautifully written story of two women. On the surface, they appear to be friends, although one, Sera, is the middle class employer of Bhima, who lives in a slum. In theme, it reminded me of The Help: the idea that someone could work in your home, care for your children, wash your clot...