The Story Hour

by Thrity Umrigar

From the critically beloved, bestselling author of The World We Found and The Space Between Us, whom the New York Times Book Review calls a "perceptive and ...piercing writer," comes a profound, heartbreakingly honest novel about friendship, family, secrets, forgiveness, and second chances. An experienced psychologist, Maggie carefully maintains emotional distance from her patients. But when she meets a young Indian woman who tried to kill herself, her professional detachment disintegrates. Cut off from her family in India, Lakshmi is desperately lonely and trapped in a loveless marriage to a domineering man who limits her world to their small restaurant and grocery store. Moved by her plight, Maggie treats Lakshmi in her home office for free, quickly realizing that the despondent woman doesn't need a shrink; she needs a friend. Determined to empower Lakshmi as a woman who feels valued in her own right, Maggie abandons protocol, and soon doctor and patient have become close friends. But while their relationship is deeply affectionate, it is also warped by conflicting expectations.
When Maggie and Lakshmi open up and share long-buried secrets, the revelations will jeopardize their close bond, shake their faith in each other, and force them to confront painful choices.

• ISBN10: 006225930X
• ISBN13: 9780062259301
• Publish Date: 19 August 2014
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 10 April 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Harper
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[lovelybookshelf]

I loved the novel's cultural aspects; specifically, the role of women in Indian society and how that has been changing. Lakshmi's thoughts and perceptions carried this novel for me, her stories offering a rich and unique look at Indian culture as well as the immigrant experience. Read my full review of this title at A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall.