Review: The Story Hour

The Story Hour

By Thrity Umrigar

Harper August 2014

336 pages

Won from Goodreads 

Maggie is a psychologist with a thriving practice and a devoted husband. Things change when she meets Lakshmi, a young Indian woman who tried to commit suicide. Lakshmi is estranged from her family in India and her days are ordered by her domineering husband. Maggie breaks her own rules and agrees to treat Lakshmi for free in her home office. Those aren't the only protocols that are broken as the two women become friends. But can their friendship survive each woman's darkest secret?

The relationship between the two women evolves as Lakshmi shares her loneliness with Maggie. She feels she has no one who cares about her. As the women bond over the early loss of their mothers, Maggie slowly lets Lakshmi into her life as well. Maggie shares some of her insight with her husband Sudhir. He figures out that much of Lakshmi's trouble comes from not having her own identity or income. Maggie and Sudhir help her to start her own cleaning and catering business. The friendship between the two women is lovely and believable until their biggest secrets are revealed. Without giving too much away, I found each woman's reaction rather unbelievable.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this book is the way Umrigar tackles racism. Through Maggie and Lakshmi's eyes, we see racism in many forms and realize that everyone has prejudices. When Maggie first visits Lakshmi in her hospital room, the patient visibly recoils. Lakshmi has been taught by her husband that all African-American people are liars and out to get you. Maggie thinks herself above prejudice - she married an Indian man after all. But she slowly realizes her own misconceptions about immigrants and the poor. We are reminded that each of us makes assumptions based on race and class and that getting to know people often paints a much different picture.

Umrigar makes some bold choices with this book. Maggie can be selfish and rather brusque. Her husband and, later, Lakshmi are devoted to her. Instead of being appreciative, she is focused on herself. This can sometimes make her a difficult character to like. Lakshmi's chapters are very distinctive because they are written the way that she speaks. It takes a while to get used to her broken and incorrect English. While it can be uncomfortable to read, it really highlights the differences between her faltering speech and Maggie's college-educated, professional demeanor. 

Thrity Umrigar has written a beautiful and insightful story about the importance of being known and loving people in spite of their failings. The Story Hour will make you reconsider your own prejudices and the ways in which we perceive the people around us. 

Other books by Thrity Umrigar:

The World We Found 

I read The Story Hour as a part of A More Diverse Universe, where readers commit to reading books by authors who look and think differently than they do. To find other diverse reads, head over to Booklust!