Honor

by Thrity Umrigar

"A powerful, important, unforgettable book."
-Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild

When Indian American journalist Smita returns to India to write the story of a young widow Meena and the murder of her husband, it's Smita's first time back since her family left when she was a child. Both Smita and Meena were raised in a culture where a woman exercising a basic human right-the right to love and marry whoever she chooses-is met with brutal punishment. While Meena's fate hangs in the balance, Smita must reckon with the privilege that becoming an American has given her, as well as face the trauma that shaped her as a child and led to her family leaving.

Dual love stories propel the narrative, as different as the cultures from which they emanate. We follow how Meena fell headfast in love with a person forbidden to her due to his religion and faced the violent consequences of her choice; and Smita's freedom to have a casual love affair and to decide, later, how much it means to her.

Moving, perceptive, and heartbreaking, this is a story about two women and what they inspire in each other as they navigate a home where terrible things have occurred, and are allowed to keep occurring, a country that they want, more than anything, to love.

• ISBN10: 161620995X
• ISBN13: 9781616209957
• Publish Date: 4 January 2022
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Out of Print: 14 March 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Algonquin Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kim Deister]

Honor is a beautifully written book that will reside in my soul for a very long time. It was deeply emotional and felt deeply personal, even though it was written about a place and a culture that is not my own. It is an incredibly thought-provoking novel that makes the reader question what honor truly means. It looks at deeply-rooted tradition, and the toxicity that sometimes comes with that kind of tradition. There are themes of family, hatred, misogyny, sacrifice, betrayal, ignorance, religious bigotry, tradition, honor, and even hope. The author’s writing is lush and vibrant, drawing the reader into another world. It is not always an easy book to read, the subject matter often horrifying and gutwrenchingly sad, but it isn’t meant to be easy. The story is that of a social horror, so it should be uncomfortable.

Honor is really two parallel stories, that of Meena and that of Smitra. Both have experienced the traditional, patriarchal society of India. Their stories have their similarities, but far different outcomes. Mohan’s role in the book is equally important, representing both the entitled male privilege that is so present in India and the good that is also within the country. Through their stories, honor begins to take on multiple means. For some, honor means adhering to religious and cultural norms. Any step in a different direction can me shame and even death. For others, honor means honoring oneself, doing what is right in the face of personal sacrifice.

This is a truly beautiful book, and an important one.