The Museum of Failures
India

The Museum of Failures

by Thrity Umrigar

Family & Heritage Literary Fiction 2023

Summary

Remy Wadia returns to Bombay from his home in America after learning that his elderly mother has fallen seriously ill. Estranged from his parents for years, he arrives with complicated feelings about his childhood, his family’s secrets, and the emotional distance that has defined their relationship. His mother survives, but the visit forces Remy to confront painful memories and reconsider the stories he has told himself about his past. As he reconnects with his family and the city he once called home, he begins uncovering truths that challenge his understanding of his parents and himself. Set against the vibrant, contradictory landscape of contemporary Mumbai, The Museum of Failures explores immigration, cultural identity, parental love, and the possibility of forgiveness. Through Remy’s journey, Umrigar asks whether understanding the people who have hurt us can help us make peace with the past and find a way forward.

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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
2023
Author
Thrity Umrigar