Umrigar is an excellent author with a beautiful way with words. I found that the first half of the book moved slowly, but once the ”family secrets” started coming out, things really picked up! I even came close to tears at parts. All in all, this is a good story that I’m glad I read. Thank you NetGalley!

In "The Museum of Failures," Thrity Umrigar delivers a poignant exploration of family dynamics, forgiveness, and the enduring power of love. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Bombay, this immersive narrative follows Remy Wadia, a man grappling with his strained relationship with his mother, as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and reconciliation.

The heart of the story lies in Remy's return to Bombay from the United States, where he intends to adopt a child and reconnect with his ailing mother. Umrigar masterfully captures the complexity of Remy's emotions, from lingering resentment to a newfound sense of responsibility and compassion. As he confronts the ghosts of his past and delves into long-buried family secrets, Remy undergoes a profound transformation, challenging his perceptions and reevaluating his fractured relationships.

Umrigar's prose is luminous and evocative, painting a vivid portrait of Bombay's bustling streets and the intricacies of familial bonds. Through nuanced characterizations and richly layered storytelling, she delves into themes of identity, belonging, and the enduring impact of the past on the present. The narrative unfolds with a compelling blend of suspense and introspection, keeping readers captivated until the final page.

At its core, "The Museum of Failures" is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the capacity for forgiveness. Through Remy's journey, Umrigar eloquently explores the complexities of forgiveness, highlighting the importance of empathy and understanding in healing fractured relationships. As Remy grapples with his own demons and confronts the flaws and vulnerabilities of those he loves, he learns that true forgiveness requires acknowledging the humanity in others and embracing the imperfections that define us all.

This is the first book by Thrity Umrigar that I have read. I tend to steer away from books where family drama is the driving force of the plot because often the story feels melodramatic and unrealistic. Umrigar may have changed my mind. I initially picked this up because the main character Remy and his wife Kathy live in Columbus, Ohio and I'm an Ohio girl. Of course Remy's life in America plays very little role in the story. Remy travels home to India to facilitate the adoption he and his wife are planning with an unwed mother in India. While there Remy visits with his estranged mother and learns that despite her illness and the plans he had made for her care - no one was taking care of her. During his time at home Remy begins to unravel the secrets his mother and father had been keeping from him which changes his view on his family forever. Umrigar's story is a story of healing and growth which kept me engaged the entire time.

This novel provided an opportunity for me to enter a world that I know very little about. Getting to hear of the internal struggle that Remy felt in his relationship with his mother, with India, and with his decisions was very enlightening. And to see the shift between Remy and his mother once the truth behind her criticism became known was beautiful.

Wonderful, emotional story about mother and son relationships and the secrets that can tear a family apart. I highly recommend this book.

Approaching this without prior knowledge, I entrusted the author to weave a story that would resonate with my emotions, and she delivered.

Remy, originally from India and now residing in the USA with his American wife, returns to India with plans to adopt a baby from a family friend and visit his ailing mother. However, his visit takes an unexpected turn as he discovers his mother's deteriorating health and encounters family secrets. The narrative explores themes of pain, forgiveness, kindness, and love, revealing layers of humanity amid challenging circumstances.

I’m so glad I went outside my comfort zone for this one! The plot captivated me, addressing the complexities of human experiences and exposing raw truths. While the book started strongly, it experienced a brief lull in the middle before concluding with a compelling ending.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for providing an advance e-copy of this book.

I 💜 you, Thrity Umringer

Super Brief Summary
A riveting story about uncovering family secrets and the power of forgiveness, set in India and the United States, from the bestselling author of Reese's Book Club pick Honor.

Honor, a previous # book, was a book that shattered us as a group and while this book didn't quite break me in the same way, I shed quite a few tears while reading this one.

Also unlike Honor that follows a predominantly female cast of characters, Museum of Failures is mainly Remy's story. He left India to go to school and ends up finding a life there. When he and his wife are presented with an opportunity to adopt, he is pulled back and travels back for what he thinks is a quick trip. And that is all I will say because his journey is tumultuous and left me speechless at one point.

This was my third by Thrity Umringer and I am here her for books, her characters always come to life and keep me turning the pages. I look forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you @net for this copy 💜
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After reading Honor I knew I would pick up anything she wrote. And this was another great book. I was engaged throughout. I cannot wait to read what's next.

More than failures, The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar is all about secrets – family secrets and the resulting trauma that children carry into adulthood and their own journey into parenthood. The book packages this family's entire history from before Remy's birth until his now-middle-age into a neat and tidy ending. This, to me, lessons the impact of this story. Nevertheless, an emotional family story and a depiction of the immigrant experience that will stay with me.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/01/the-museum-of-failures.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher’s blog tour.

Perfect blending of cultures and I’m shocked this hasn’t been talked about more! I loved it. The family dynamics feel real, characters are real.

Atmospheric and beautiful writing. A complex family story. It definitely transports me into the mood and time - that sort of loneliness within a family. Look forward to more of Umrigar's writing!

I really loved Umrigar's "Honor" so I was really looking forward to her new book, "museum of failures." Our MC is from India and returns to visit his mother and realizes that she has been neglected and has not been cared for the way he expected. He winds up staying in India for an extended period of time, and naturally family secrets and dynamics arise and are examined,

In the first half of the book I thought that I'd be giving the book 3 stars as things felt repetitive and I did not feel that I was making much progress in the story, I felt that we were rehashing the same few grievances within the family. But as we neared the final third, a secret was revealed that turned the whole thing on it's head and I sped thru the remaining pages. I would have preferred the pacing had been consistent, as it feels a bit like cheating when I rate a book highly simply because the ending was good.

I am not usually a fan of the unlikable character, if our MC is unlikable, often that means I will be left with a bad taste in my mouth but Umrigar is particularly skilled at making flawed, complex characters that although their behavior is not always easy to wrap our brains around, their motives and background make it easier to understand and sympathize with. In this case Remy is often selfish, with selfish motivations and self absorbed perceptions and I did certainly find him obnoxious at times, but ultimately still forgivable and easy to empathize with.

I personally always love books set in India as I am super fascinated by the country, I love the exotic feel mixed in with the slight sense of danger. This book was not quite as good as Honor, and felt a little meandering at times, but it was a decent follow up and good enough that I will not be giving up on her as a writer and I will look forward to her future endeavors.

This story deals with forgiveness, healing and redemption. Remy Wadia carries the anger and resentment of his mother into his adulthood. When he returns to India to adopt a child of his own, he visits his invalid mother. While there, he finds a photo and other documents that shed light on a different aspect of his mother causing him to re-evaluate his feelings. The story provides a good reminder to readers that forgiveness comes from empathy for others. Along Remy’s journey, the reader finds themself questioning their own childhood perceptions and upbringing in light of the knowledge adulthood gives us.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Once again Umrigar has written a not-put-downable (for all you grammarians) novel of family. The Museum of Failures is about forgiveness and secrets. Remy returns to Bombay in hopes of adopting a baby. He plans to reluctantly visit his mother. When his father passed away three years earlier, the difficult relationship between Remy and his mother did not improve. He discovers that his mother is very ill and in hospital. As their relationship begins to soften, he finally learns the secret that his parents kept from him. I have enjoyed all of Umrigar’s wonderful novels. She’s a great storyteller.

Umrigar's tale of family secrets and how they can affect the perceptions held by a child of one parent vs another was very well done. She explores the outward effects as the son himself takes a step in pursuing parenthood himself.

Through memory and recollections and hard conversations, we discover that the idea held by Remi needs to be reevaluated and past grievances need to be addressed and reconciled.

I loved the atmosphere of support and love that was in this story, even as we see certain aspects of tradition that may have been seen as harsh and needed to be challenged.

I need to preface this review with this - I am not a lover of Literary Fiction [much to the dismay of the bestie who ADORES LitFict] and had I known [or paid attention when I requested this], I probably would not have requested this. I say all this because had I not, I would have missed out on a really excellent read [I still have book hangover 24+ hours later if that tells you anything].

This is a story about love. And coming home. And tradition. And secrets [and A L L the damage they do]. And going into something and by the end realizing that that wasn't what you needed at all and making peace with that. And wrapped up in ALL of that [again], is love. Deep, quiet, passionate, all encompassing, love. Familial love. Marital love. The love of friends who have grown up together and managed to stay friends despite time and distance. The love of a child and all one would do for that child. And love for a child you didn't even know you wanted.

While the middle drags a bit [its the blatherblatherblather of LitFict that drives me crazy and just IMO slows the book W A Y down], so much, that I was tempted to throw in the towel and abandon the book, but then, about 2 hours from the end, it picks up and O M G my heart was crushed over and over, ugly tears commenced, and again, I am still reeling from very unexpected book hangover. So glad I took a chance on this one. Brilliant.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thrity Umrigar, and Algonquin Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you go into this one thinking you’ll be gutted like you were in Honor, it’ll be a let down. I shouldn’t have, as it’s not fair but nonetheless that was my comparison on one of my favorite books last year, this one just didn’t compare. It felt, slower? I was certainly less emotionally connected I think due to pacing. It also felt a tad longer than necessary. I loved the last 1/3rd of the book and it anything that portion felt rushed.

This book follows another unlikeable main character, that just felt whiney and dissatisfied and a mother that was cold and distant. That said, Umrigar can no doubt write and capture your attention.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umigar.

When Remy returns to India after living his life in America, he could never guess what what was in store for him. Set to adopt the baby of an unwed pregnant mother sets him on a long road of learning about his cold, semi-estranged mother. Learning about how sick and uncared for he is renews his dedication to her wellbeing, while also discovering why his childhood was so full of sadness and anger. It also helps him and his mother bridge a cold distance between them that they harbored for years.

This was such a sweet and sad story full of heart, frustration, redemption and forgiveness. It's a reminder that life is short, but it's also long enough for us to grow and develop compassion for situations that we may not have previously understood. Very worthwhile read.

What an amazing author and what an amazing read! Each book I read by her only adds to her repertoire of fascinating and powerful books.
Remy Wadia, has left India to escape a mother who has rejected and hurt him his entire life. He moves to the United States where he finds success, love and a new world. His return to his native country is necessitated by his mother's illness and a plan to adopt a child and bring her back to his wife and begin a family.
The writing is beautiful. The author's understanding of dealing with aging parents is so well done. Her description of loss and coping with the unimaginable of suffering, both physically and emotionally, is so imposing.
The story keeps you guessing until the very end. A great book!

This is a sad but beautiful story about family and becoming a parent. It's moving and twisty (the family secret threw me for a loop!) with wonderfully complex characters.

Thanks to Algonquin books for the copy to review.