The Secrets Between Us (#2: Between Us)
India

The Secrets Between Us (#2: Between Us)

by Thrity Umrigar

Friendship Literary Fiction Family Saga 2018

Summary

In the bustling streets of Mumbai, Bhima must rebuild her life after losing the domestic job she held for more than twenty years. Poor and illiterate, she has endured tremendous hardship, and now her greatest concern is securing a better future for her granddaughter, Maya. With few options available, Bhima struggles to support them both while confronting the betrayal of the family she once served.

Her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Parvati, an elderly homeless woman whose sharp tongue and guarded nature conceal years of suffering. Despite their initial mistrust, the two women form an unlikely partnership selling fruit and vegetables at a local market. As they gradually share their stories, they discover a friendship built on mutual understanding, resilience, and the determination to survive. Together, they begin to imagine a future beyond the limitations imposed by poverty, gender, and social status.

Set against the contrasts of modern Mumbai, The Secrets Between Us is a moving story about female solidarity, dignity, and second chances. Thrity Umrigar explores how friendship can emerge from hardship and how women who have been marginalized by society can find strength in one another.

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About the author
Thrity Umrigar
Thrity Umrigar

Thrity Umrigar is an Indian-American novelist, journalist, and professor born in Bombay, now Mumbai, in 1961. She grew up in a Parsi family and moved to the United States at the age of 21. Her experiences of migration and cultural displacement have strongly influenced her writing, which frequently explores class, gender, identity, and the complexities of belonging. Umrigar earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Bombay before completing graduate studies in journalism and English at Ohio State University and Kent State University. Before becoming a full-time academic and novelist, she worked as a journalist for publications including The Washington Post and The Boston Globe. Her novels include The Space Between Us (2006), The Weight of Heaven (2009), The World We Found (2012), The Story Hour (2014), and Honor (2022). Her work often examines the lives of women navigating social hierarchies, family expectations, and cultural change. She is a professor of English at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where she teaches creative writing and literature.

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Published
2018
Author
Thrity Umrigar