Over the past decade or so, the Western press has finally started to cover very graphic accounts of almost unimaginable violence against women in India, particularly in rural areas. The savagery and sheer magnitude of cruelty in these reports, many of which result in the death of the victim, is both painful and hard to comprehend, though of course, crimes against women cross all cultural and economic boundaries. Still when faced with the premise of Thrity Umrigar’s novel Honor, which examines the roots of one such “honor killing” and physical brutalization of a young couple who embarked on an interfaith Hindu Muslim marriage, I procrastinated, and waited until the the last possible moment to read it, fearing that the book would be overwhelmingly brutal and heartbreaking.

And yes, that is part of this gut-wrenching magnificent story, but it is also a captivating exploration of what makes us love and attempt to understand- a country, another person, a family, a culture, a set of traditions, a city, a stranger, a friend, a child, a neighbor and ultimately ourselves. Umrigar is such an unflinchingly honest writer, it is also about the betrayals that occur and are enmeshed with this love and the cost of them, which can happen within minutes, hours or take decades or generations to unravel.

More specifically this is the tale of Smita, a conflicted ex-pat American Indian journalist with secrets of her own tied to her Indian heritage who gets coerced by a fellow journalist friend into finishing a story about an “honor killing” and physical attack of Abdul and Meena and their young daughter Abru. Abru, a Muslim, is burned alive by Meena’s Hindu brothers, while Meena barely escapes the same fate, becoming horribly disfigured in the process. In the aftermath, Meena is shunned by both religious communities, but attempts to bring her brothers to trial, which is viewed as a scandalous and outrageous move by a woman in the belief network of her rural villages. This is where Smita gets reluctantly involved and for the story, must travel to these villages to interview Meena, her brothers and other participants in this tragic event. It is too dangerous for a woman to travel alone in these areas, so accompanying her is a young professional upper caste Indian man, Mohan, who initially denigrates Meena for viewing India through American eyes.
Smita’s uneasy return to her country and her ambivalence about it, produces some especially well-crafted and poignant writing: “But India wasn’t a country so much as an unstoppable force of nature,” “At this moment, India felt inexpressibly large—as well as small and provincial enough to choke her,” “But despite her privilege, her heart ached, and she felt a different kind of homesickness than what she felt for New York-the loss of something that had never fully belonged to her.”

Initially unwilling, she begins to form a strong friendship with Meena whose courage and resolution seems to grow as her situation becomes increasingly perilous. Meena has virtually nothing other than a burned shack on her resentful mother-in-law’s property, and a heart full of joy for her daughter. Yet through her actions, she gives Smita the strength to come to terms with her own family’s dark secret, necessitating their flight from India. There is also a reckoning with Smita’ growing connection to Mohan, who, like Smita, must also face up to the incongruities of the beauty and the barbarism of their country. Their story plays out against the backdrop of Meena’s and Abdul’s whose situation in all aspects is the opposite. This narrative is told through Meena’s poignant memories of her romance and marriage with Abdul, who idealistically holds the promise of a united Hindustan as a guiding belief. The fates of these two couples, one determined and the other unknown, and these two women power to a breath-holding conclusion. It is not possible to put down this book.

Umrigar examines and unspools many weighty themes, not the least
the great bravery and vulnerability (and for Meena, the life and death consequences) of opening yourself to love, and discovering what part of yourself you also lose in the process. After reading it, Honor does not depart, but stays cleaved with you, almost as a part of your shadow.
Highly recommended.

A timely look at the horrors of extremism and intolerance, Honor is a smooth read that moves quickly. While the horrors are indeed real, there is something in the writing that feels almost sensationalist or gratuitous. Perhaps it is the large amount of content in a relatively short space.

The book seems to struggle with identity - it is a story of one person’s healing, an expose of dangerous intolerance between Hindus and Muslims in the history of India, an orphan’s tale, and a romance. No wonder it becomes difficult to become truly sold on any one element. In addition, the social commentary becomes a bit heavy-handed. The shocking plot elements make the point without any explanation needed. Indeed, a bit of reserve would strengthen the book in more ways than one.

Thank you to Thrity Umrigar, Algonquin Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The complex story about two very different women will be the talk of 2022 and I predict a lot of awards.

Smita arrives in India after her friend has an accident and needs surgery. They are both journalists and she is asked to complete the story of Meena a Hindu woman who married a Muslim man and is now on trial. Smita who moved the United States when she was 14 had no intentions of returning to her birthplace, but felt compelled for her friend.

The story of Meena is much more complex as this stories progresses. As we learn more about her relationship with her husband and her daughter. She has been to hell and back but stands by her decisions.

This is ultimately the story of two very strong but different people and their relationships with the men they love. Nothing about this story is light and breezy, but is a thought provoking story about culture and life choices. This is a great read to start 2022.

Thank you NetGalley and Algonquin Books for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This may be the saddest book I have ever read. And I read a lot of sad books. But this one really affected me.

There are quite a few characters but the main character, Smita, is journalist who is called to India to help a fellow friend/journalist. She isn't fond of India because her and her family were forced to leave there when she was a teenager, but you don't know why until almost the end.

But she has to cover the story of a woman named Meena who was nearly killed in a fire that killed her husband. The fire was set by her brothers because the village did not believe it was acceptable for a Hindu to marry a Muslim. And since she had ran away and married a Muslim man they said she brought dishonor to the family and the village. But she survived and is pressing charges against her brothers for the Murder of her husband.

So the book tells Meena's story but also Smita's story. And it is all so heartbreaking. I reached out to a friend who lives in India and she confirmed that this stuff does actually happened in rural places in India. But I really loved how the author showed how there are often times multiple layers to our countries. There are the backwards thinking towns, cities, and people, however, there are also so many good people who are helping to bring change. And you can't just define a country by it's bad parts but it's good parts as well.

This will definitely be going in my all time favorites list. And I would definitely encourage people to read this. However, please be advised that there is very harsh language used towards Muslims in this book. It was very hard to read at times. So please keep that in mind.

Thank to Netgalley and Algonquin Books for this ARC.

Honor by Thrity Umrigar is a compelling, powerful, and emotional book. Set in India, a journalist now living in America returns at the request of a friend. The reasons she and her family left are central to this story as a current situation she is following stirs up old feelings. And there is so much more here, both horrifying and tender. A must read!

In Honor, Tracy Umrigar offers a powerful story of the many contrasts in Indian society, focusing on the horrific story of the grotesque murders of a Muslim man at the hands of his Hindu wife's brothers. Set primarily in rural India, Honor turns the spotlight on the treatment of women and Muslims in India. Umrigar's writing presents readers with pictures of the sights and sounds and squalor and terrible ways in which human beings can torture other human beings. I was drawn in from the start of the novel and kept there through the ending, even though it was fairly predictable. The book suffers from two flaws. It is presented to readers without much historical context, despite the revelation of the secret Smita finally spills. And its cover does not do justice to the serious nature of the book's messages. But those are minor issues compared with the impact it will make on most readers.

Honor. It can mean treating someone with respect. And it can mean one’s good name and public esteem.

For some, protecting their honor may involve not honoring another–not respecting them, even harming them. And then there are those who sacrifice their personal honor, so as to honor others by protecting them.

Thrity Umrigar’s new novel Honor explores all the meanings of honor through a propelling and chilling story set in contemporary India. At the center of the story is a young wife who seeks justice after her brothers kill her husband, and maim her, because she married outside of their religion. An American reporter, Smita, born in India, is called upon to report on the trial’s verdict. She is accompanied by a Mumbai man, Mohan, born to wealth and privilege. He loves his flawed country; her family had to flee their homeland for safety.

The two stories are mirrors of the cultural clash between Muslims and Hindus that has plagued India for generations.

Meena, the widow, is fiercely protective of her child, all she has left of her four happy months of marriage. Her love story, her courage and fortitude, will amaze you and break your heart.

Smita has her traumatic story, too, which she eventually reveals to Mohan. She breaks the cardinal rule for journalists of not becoming emotionally involved in a story. But meeting Meena and her daughter, and the brothers and village elder who orchestrated the attack, she struggles for objectivity.

Readers will be caught up by the propelling story line and climatic ending.

Wherever, whenever, people clash over their ideals and values, honor becomes a password to justify their actions. And wherever, and whenever, people truly love and care for another, they honor the beloved even through sacrifice. It is a choice we constantly make.

Which will you choose?

I received an ARC from the publisher. My review is fair and unbiased.

Another amazing novel from Ms Umrigar, perhaps her best yet. Her beloved India is the main “character” and imbues nearly every thought and action. An American journalist and India native has to face her own fears and memories when returning there to cover a story of hate between religious factions. She also rediscovers the beauty in the land and in the people of her birth. The novel is perfectly paced with beautiful language and characters that immediately jump into your heart.

Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the ARC to read and review.

“A mongoose can not lay down next to a snake. Thus it is between the Hindu and the
Muslim.”

Honor by Thrity Umrigar is a masterpiece. I have loved every one of her books, but this one might be my favorite, though I think I say that after I finish reading each and every one of her books. There are some books that make me feel like I could never write a review that would give the book the praise it deserves. This is one of those books.

Would you sell your honor to protect your family? Would you sacrifice pride and self respect for those you love? Abdul, Meena and Smita’s father faced these questions throughout their lives. This is a story about caste, class, religious bigotries and having the human spirit to endure the worst horrors imaginable. It is incomprehensible that people could treat others with such hatred and then inflict torture on those they call family.

Meena, a lowly, Hindu woman, a slave, has her life destroyed by her brothers and the village she lives in because she fell in love with a Muslim man. She takes a giant step by telling Smita, an American journalist, her story so that she can try and implement change for other Indian women like her. Meena does this realizing that this sacrifice could put her on an even darker path, but she is doing it for her daughter and other women, hoping to leave the world a better place for them to grow up in. Smita, an American journalist, was born in India, and as a young girl leaves India with her family to live in America. Smita did not ever want to return to India due to a secret she harbors while she lived there. She has returned to help a friend but instead ends up working, telling Meena’s story.

This is one of the most horrific stories I have ever read. There were times I didn’t think I could continue. But we must read about the atrocities in our world so that we can institute change and try and make our world a better place to live. Thank you NetGalley and Algonquin Books for an ARC of Honor in exchange for an honest review. The publishing date is January 4, 2022. Make this your first read in the new year.

In Honor, Smita, an American journalist who was born in India, returns at the behest of her friend to cover the story of Meena, a Hindu woman who was severely disfigured when her brothers burned down her cabin and killed her Muslim husband. The narrative alternates between Smita's story and Meena's story. It presents two India's--the modern city and the rural areas that consider women subservient to their husbands and religious segragation is a way of life. The book is also about Smita coming to terms with her past and the reason her family left India. The tragedies are difficult and disturbing, but the books is worth the read.

Smita never wanted to see India again, but when she returns to care for an injured journalist colleague, she ends up covering a horrific honor killing trial and bonding with the woman who survived. This book is both heartbreaking and hopeful.

Excellent book. I requested this as background reading as BookBrowse is running a "First Impressions Program" booked by Randall, and it is proving a great success. The many excellent five star reviews are at https://www.bookbrowse.com/reader_reviews/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/16075/honor#reader_reviews (and a good number of respondents will already have posted elsewhere, or will do later.

In addition to the First Impressions activity on BookBrowse and in newsletters that will run from on sale, we will also be featuring it as a "Today's Top Picks" recommendation for at least a week.

A very good read.In my opinion, there are several “ minor” characters in the book.
Smita, the gender issues journalist, Mohan, the upper class Indian man with whom she falls in love, and Meena,the horribly maimed Hindu woman whose fate is sealed when she marries a Muslim man from rural India.The main “ character” if you will , is India itself. We see the India of Mumbai-the large hectic metropolis so well depicted in movies, and the impoverished India of the small remote villages, with people living in abject poverty and ruled by harsh dictatorial tribal elders and customs and corruption.The conflict between Hindu India and Muslim India is clearly represented, and the horrors perpetrated in their name could be Israeli/ Palestinian, extreme right wing politics/ extreme left, a symbol for every place and every circumstance when intolerance reigns.The final chapter is predictable but nevertheless well told and emotional.
A good read about a country on my “ bucket list”.

Plot: 4/5 Writing: 4/5 Characters: 4/5

Smita Agarwal is an Indian-American gender issues journalist who works hard to maintain her objectivity. Despite being Indian by birth, India is the one country she refuses to cover due to a long ago personal trauma that she has never really confronted. When a close friend is hospitalized and begs her to cover an important Indian story for her, Smita has no choice but to comply. The story is a tough one: a woman (Meena) whose husband was set on fire in an honor killing by her brothers is now bringing the case back to trial despite knowing that the outcome will not really help her in any way.

While the emotionally ridden story of the honor killing and precipitating events fills the pages, the real story is about the impact on Smita and Mohan — a well-to-do Indian man who took a vacation in order to help as her driver and translator — neither of whom are prepared for the ugliness they find.

This was a hard book for me to read. It’s written in a dramatic style that left me feeling constantly angry, frustrated, and hopeless (I am an emotional sponge type reader so these things hit me hard). The characters of Smita and Mohan were well-drawn — it was easy to identify and resonate with them as their reactions were similar to what mine would have been. The characters of Meena, her brothers, her mother-in-law, and her husband were more two-dimensional as though the author was trying to make sense of how uneducated villagers conduct their lives. It’s so alien to me that I couldn’t really “get” it, but let’s face it — it would be difficult for me to get it given my own, very different, background.

Good storyline — I like the way the author showed many good and non-abusive men in contrast to these utterly oppressive village men. At the same time she did a great job of showing how Mohan lived with an upper-caste and male oriented privilege and not even be aware of the advantages this conferred upon him. Also some wonderful descriptions of scenery and culture.

Worth reading but for me it became a “daytime only” book because it really put me in a depressed state that was not conducive to sleep.