From the Publisher
“A taut, suspenseful page-turner with depth, heart, and psychological credibility whose believable and enduring characters ponder the meaning of friendship, the challenges of marriage, and the value of storytelling itself.” — Boston Globe
“With grace, wisdom and incredible compassion, Thrity Umrigar has woven together the lives of two seemingly dissimilar women who must learn—against steep odds—to forgive each other and themselves.” — Paula McClain, author of The Paris Wife
“Past misdeeds threaten the friendship of a psychologist and her immigrant patient in a fictional tale that asks, are we more than the sum of our mistakes?” — O Magazine, “10 Books to Pick Up Now”
“Thrity Umrigar has an uncanny ability to look deeply into the human heart and find the absolute truth of our lives. The Story Hour is stunning and beautiful. Lakshmi and Maggie will stay with readers for a very long time.” — Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The Hummingbird's Daughter
“Thrity Umrigar’s novel The Story Hour showcases her ability to bring to life characters who are…sympathetic yet flawed in ways we can all relate to.… I read deep into the night to find out how their stories end, and I predict you will, too!” — Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of Oleander Girl and Sister of My Heart
“The sixth novel from Umrigar (The Space Between Us) is a deeply moving portrait of connection, disconnection, and missed connections…. [T]his compassionate and memorable novel is remarkable for the depth and complexity of its characters.” — Publishers Weekly
“Umrigar’s novel begins as a small domestic drama and develops into a forceful examination of identity, cultural isolation and the power of storytelling.…An impressive writer, Umrigar delivers another smart, compulsively readable work.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Skillful…. Much like a therapy session, this deft, well-paced novel contains breakthroughs and growth, and, at its end, leaves the reader wistful that the allotted time on the couch has run out.” — Booklist
“Explores cross-cultural friendships, troubled marriages, love, loss, and forgiveness with [Umrigar’s] characteristic wisdom, humor, and warmth.… This satisfying, psychologically complex story will appeal to a wide range of readers.… its characters are both smart and likable without being sentimental or idealized.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“[a] thoughtful and moving new novel...” — Cleveland Plain Dealer
“The Story Hour is…a compelling testament to the power of story to unite people, transcend differences, and ultimately heal both the self and relationships.” — BookBrowser Review
“I was hooked immediately…. The book will make a great movie…with actresses vying for the roles of these strong, unforgettable characters.” — Midlife at the Oasis
Luis Alberto Urrea
Thrity Umrigar has an uncanny ability to look deeply into the human heart and find the absolute truth of our lives. The Story Hour is stunning and beautiful. Lakshmi and Maggie will stay with readers for a very long time.
Booklist
Skillful…. Much like a therapy session, this deft, well-paced novel contains breakthroughs and growth, and, at its end, leaves the reader wistful that the allotted time on the couch has run out.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Thrity Umrigar’s novel The Story Hour showcases her ability to bring to life characters who are…sympathetic yet flawed in ways we can all relate to.… I read deep into the night to find out how their stories end, and I predict you will, too!
Cleveland Plain Dealer
[a] thoughtful and moving new novel...
Boston Globe
“A taut, suspenseful page-turner with depth, heart, and psychological credibility whose believable and enduring characters ponder the meaning of friendship, the challenges of marriage, and the value of storytelling itself.
Paula McClain
With grace, wisdom and incredible compassion, Thrity Umrigar has woven together the lives of two seemingly dissimilar women who must learn—against steep odds—to forgive each other and themselves.
O Magazine
Past misdeeds threaten the friendship of a psychologist and her immigrant patient in a fictional tale that asks, are we more than the sum of our mistakes?
Booklist
Skillful…. Much like a therapy session, this deft, well-paced novel contains breakthroughs and growth, and, at its end, leaves the reader wistful that the allotted time on the couch has run out.
BookBrowser Review
The Story Hour is…a compelling testament to the power of story to unite people, transcend differences, and ultimately heal both the self and relationships.
Midlife at the Oasis
I was hooked immediately…. The book will make a great movie…with actresses vying for the roles of these strong, unforgettable characters.
Kirkus Reviews
2014-07-03
Umrigar's (The World We Found,2012, etc.) novel begins as a small domestic drama and develops into a forcefulexamination of identity, cultural isolation and the power of storytelling.When Dr. Maggie Bose first meetsLakshmi after the young woman's suicide attempt, she can already guess atLakshmi's story—abusive husband, familial separation, cultural isolation—a lifein America that is so like those of the many other immigrant women she'streated. They begin weekly therapy sessions, though Lakshmi seems unaware ofthe purpose—are they not new friends, simply sharing their stories? Lakshmi'stales of her Indian village, of the time she saved the landowner's son, hercare for the village elephant, her pride at a hard-won education, are shadowedby her current life in a cold Midwestern college town. Her husband treats herwith contempt, demands she work long hours at his restaurant and, perhapsworse, forbids contact with her family in India. Maggie suspects Lakshmi isless in need of psychotherapy than autonomy. Maggie and her husband, Sudhir (anIndian math professor, a fact that delights Lakshmi), begin promoting her as acaterer to their friends. Maggie teaches her to drive. Lakshmi's independenceeven improves her marriage. And then Lakshmi tells Maggie a story that rewritesher whole narrative; she did a shocking thing, and for these six years inAmerica, she has been the villain and her husband, the victim. Maggie is nowrepelled, though she has her own secrets. Despite 30 years of happy marriage toSudhir, she is having a reckless affair. When Lakshmi finds out, this destroysthe story of Maggie and Sudhir's enviable marriage, and so Lakshmi takesrevenge. The novel begins with a suicide attempt and ends with the regeneratingpossibilities of storytelling as a means of healing, of shaping identity, ofendlessly re-creating the world. An impressive writer, Umrigardelivers another smart, compulsively readable work.
