Thrity Umrigar
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar is the story of two Indian women in Bombay who are separated by caste. Bhima, the maid, has worked for the Dubash family for decades. In many ways, she supported and comforted her upper-class employer, Sera Dubash. Their relationship has been mutually beneficial. Bhima soothed Sera’s physical wounds each time she received yet another beating from her husband. She helped to raise, Dinaz, Sera’s daughter, and sympathized with her after her husband’s death. In turn, Sera came to the aid of Bhima when her husband was hospitalized, and she paid for the college tuition for Bhima’s granddaughter.
The novel opens with Bhima learning her granddaughter has shamed the family by becoming pregnant and dropping out of college. By way of contrast, Sera is excited at the prospect of becoming a grandmother since Dinaz and her husband are expecting their first child. In spite of the fact Bhima and Sera have known and supported each other for decades, the class distinction remains prominent in their lives. Sera will not permit Bhima to sit at the table with her or use the same utensils as the rest of the family. And Bhima has internalized her subordinate status, convincing herself her illiteracy and poverty make her worthless and that she has to tolerate injustice if she is to survive. Their relationship ends with a resounding clash when Bhima confronts her granddaughter’s oppressor.
The novel portrays the deep-seated structural inequities of caste stratification and gender discrimination and oppression in modern India. As women, Bhima and Sera are abused by a system that privileges the male. They are victims of systemic male oppression and deception. But instead of working together to fight a common oppressor, each is rooted firmly behind her class lines. Sera emerges as the more morally and ethically culpable. When given a choice to believe a woman who has served her loyally for decades or to accept a harsh reality that threatens the status quo, she insists on her class privilege and sides against Bhima, effectively perpetuating a system that abuses them both.
Alternating between the perspectives and backstories of Bhima and Sera, Umrigar treats her characters with sympathy. Her diction is elegant; her setting, immersive. Through her characters, she illustrates the complexities of challenging class, power, and gender oppression, a daunting task requiring considerable courage.