Umrigar doesn’t paint Smita as a hero and I appreciated that sometimes, even when she’s trying to help someone, her actions do not have the desired consequences. Still, as a woman, she’s also exposed to the misogyny that is rampant in Meena’s community. As Smita witnesses how Meena is treated by her mother-in-law and learns of how she was treated by her brothers, she becomes aware of her the privilege she carries being Indian American.

Smita’s feelings towards India are repeatedly challenged by her companion who forces her not to dismiss a whole country on the basis of the actions of some. While they deny their involvement it is clear that they were not only responsible but have no remorse about having murdered their sister’s husband and disfigured her. She later on also interviews her brothers and a powerful man in their Hindu community. Smita interviews Meena and learns the details of her vicious attack. While she’s initially reluctant about his presence she quickly discovers that travelling alone is inadvisable. A friend of her colleague becomes her travel companion. Initially, Smita isn’t too keen on this as she’s very uneasy about returning to India. Smita is given this story after her colleague is hospitalized. Now Meena and her newborn live with her mother-in-law who is resentful of her, blaming her for her son’s horrific death.

Her brothers, alongside other men from their community, tried to burn her alive.

Meena has survived an attack that her husband did not. The novel switches between two perspectives: Smita, an Indian American journalist who left India at a young age after a traumatic experience, and Meena, a Hindu woman who married a Muslim man. Both books make for harrowing reads, however, whereas I found Elif Shafak’s more thoughtful tone to be more appropriate to the subject fitting, here, well, Umrigar’s undermines her social commentary by throwing into the mix a rushed romantic subplot, a series of blatant plot points and coincidences, an abundance of mawkish metaphors, and one too many cartoonish side characters.Īt first, I found Umrigar’s Honor to be a rather gripping read as it promised to be an unflinching story tackling honor killings, Islamophobia, discrimination, and misogyny. Previously to reading Thrity Umrigar’s Honor I’d read another novel with the same title and subject matter.

Honor thrity umrigar book review