Growing up in Bombay, Remy Wadia's childhood was enviable. He wanted for nothing growing up. His father was his hero and raised him like a prince. Unfortunately, no matter how he tried, he could never get close to his mother and her unpredictable moods. He grew up idolizing his father and resenting the way his mother treated them both. Years later, he is married and successful in the US. He has avoided traveling to India to visit his mother since his father passed away. Now, the opportunity to adopt a child in India has come about, he and his wife are desperate to become parents, so he makes the trip. When he arrives, he finds his mother in the hospital and she has stopped speaking. While there he discovers a letter from his late father and a photograph that changes his entire perspective of his childhood.
I have loved every book I have read by Thrity Umrigar and this was no exception. She writes emotional narratives in such a relatable way, you feel such a connection with the characters and their plights. The twists are not just unexpected, but meaningful and heartbreaking, not just meant for shock factor. Remy comes off as a bit selfish at times, but when you consider how he was raised and his emotional predicaments, you almost feel a kinship. He struggles with his feelings of betrayal as well as wanting everything to just work out perfectly, but that's not how life works and his growth when realizing this is understandable. He is flawed and that is what makes him such a relatable character. I highly recommend this and any books by the author.
Thank you to Netgalley and Algonquin books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

Remy is a married man living in the US with his American wife. He goes home to India in hopes of adopting a child, "that looks like him." He hasn't prioritized visiting India after his father's death, counting on his cousin to look after his aging mother. When he arrives and the adoption plans become complicated and his mother is in the hospital. He realizes he must do the right thing when it comes to both complications. But doing the right thing is not easy, especially when it comes to his mother, whom he has a strained relationship with. As he arranges for her care, he realizes the stunning truth about her mood swings and distant relationship with him and will do anything to set it right.

I was so moved by Umrigar's Honor so when I was offered a spot on the blog tour for The Museum of Failures, I was really looking forward to it. While our main character here is a male, the relationship between him and his mother was so deep and probed such sensitive topics, I couldn't help but be moved. It's hard to talk about the details of what I loved so much without spoilers but this one will definitely break your heart and put it back together again and you will be better for it.

Thanks to Algonquin Books for the gifted copy. All opinions above are my own.

The Museum of Failures opens as Remy Wadia arrives back in Bombay for the first time in three years, since the passing of his beloved father, Cyrus. The reason for his visit is to negotiate the adoption of a baby from the relative of a close childhood friend, but he also makes a surprise visit to his semi-estranged mother and discovers that she is quite ill, and so helping her recover, while also recovering their relationship is the primary focus of this book.

Remy remembers his mother as being distant and often cold, and sometimes almost emotionally abusive. As a result, after the death of his father, he has been distant from his mother, but upon discovering that she is quite ill, after trusting family to help care for her, Remy becomes invested in helping his mother recover her health. In helping her heal physically, they are able to resurrect their relationship, and new family secrets come to light that change how he perceives both his parents and his childhood. While also dealing with these new discoveries, the planned adoption falls apart.

This book was another well written familial drama by Umrigar. I very much enjoyed her previous book Honor. The characters developed and changed over the course of the book as Remy becomes familiar with the secrets his parents kept from him as a young child. My only complaint is the conclusion is slightly too neatly wrapped up, but also left a couple loose ends that I would have liked tied up.

Thank you to Algonquin Book and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

This book was extremely thought provoking and very deep. I loved the writing, but I did not love the rushed ending. I felt it was very brisk.

An expert storyteller, Thirty Umrigar knows how to weave a tale of family secrets, relationships, tradition and acceptance. Layered and captivating, The Museum of Failures is just that story, in which a mother and son struggle to connect, understand and forgive.

Thrity Umrigar's "Honor" was one of the most impactful novels I read last year, so I was eager to get my hands on her latest work. In "The Museum of Failures", Umrigar takes us back to India from the perspective of Remy Wadia, a successful ad agency owner in Ohio who returns to his home country after many years of separation from his mother Shirin. As a child, Remy has had a difficult and precarious relationship with his mother, recalling her sternness in contrast to the love and affection his late father showered on him. However, Remy's main focus during his time in India is to secure the adoption of a child for Kathy, his wife, and himself after his good friend tells him of their niece's unintentional pregnancy.

Remy's efforts to finalize the adoption take a backburner to his attempts to reconnect with his mother after he discovers she's been hospitalized due to her poor health. Through numerous visits to her hospital bedside, both Remy and Shirin have a chance to re-evaluate their relationship with each other and even to make amends - but Remy's discovery of a devastating family secret turns his world upside down. He's forced to see his parents through completely different eyes; his caring father as a flawed individual trying to compensate for his mistakes and faults, his mother a woman struggling to be both a good mother and wife despite knowing the darkness within her own family.

Umrigar brings to light a number of weighty and difficult topics: the burdens of filial piety and obligation, the weaknesses and flaws of our parents (and the revelation of their children when these are seen), the double standard imposed on women in Indian society, and the secrets we keep from our loved ones - for better or for worse. While unveiling the truth in Remi's family, she's able to call out the unfair standards in place in Indian (and Indian-American) society, including the fact that racial biases in place within American closely parallel India's caste system. Nonetheless, I appreciated how Remi's story and family were slowly fleshed out in both the past and present time periods and the reconciliation he and his mother were able to have.

I have some minor qualms, including the fact that the concept of "the museum of failures" isn't terribly well detailed nor developed throughout; it's included in a few passages but could have used more focus given the title of the novel as whole. There were some final actions that Remi took towards the end of the novel that I didn't entirely agree with and seemed inconsistent with the overall themes and conclusions of the novel as well. However, 'The Museum of Failures" is a thought-provoking and emotional novel that I think will be important to many readers.

This is a very complex tale of a shattered family. It is mostly told from the point of view of Remy, a successful American businessman who has returned to his homeland of India to adopt a child.

Remy has always had a contentious, almost hateful, relationship with his mother but has never understood why. On this trip home he discovers many secrets. He gets the answers he didn't know he needed or wanted.

This story is both character-driven and plot-driven. Much of the backstory (including the secrets) is revealed through narration by Remy's mother. She is a character to be pitied, and also to empathize with. Remy is a nice man. But, his nature is to be a people pleaser, my observation. And, he while does not always make the right decision he means well. As a result, he carries a lot of weight on his shoulders.

Thrity Umrigar knows how to weave a compelling story. I have enjoyed many of her books. I got more and more immersed in this story the more I read. The story is about human fragility, it’s about forgiveness and acceptance. It's an emotional tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advance Readers Copy

Remy moved from Bombay to the US as soon as he was a young adult. He went to university, met his wife and became a very successful businessman. During the times that he returned to Bombay to see his family, it was the love from his father that pulled him back. He did not have fond memories of his mother. After his dad died he did not return for three years. He left his mother in the care of cousins and felt like a good son for ensuring that someone would see to her. When Remy does return to Bombay, it is to look into the possibility of adoption. After he arrives he finds out that his mother has been hospitalized and the care she received from cousins has been substandard. As Remy navigates through his feelings for his mother, his desire for a child, and the different culture that he has married into, he discovers things about his family he has never known. This book is a slow mover for me. I just wanted to tell Remy to "get over it." This book did not appeal to me as much as some of the author's other books. Still a solid 3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the digital ARC I received in exchange of an honest review.

This is a beautiful story that left me in awe of Umigar's writing. It's a book about families, secrets, relationships, and cultures. All of the things I'm drawn to! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Adoption was really interesting to read about from a bunch of point of views and across oceans! Five star read.

Thrity Umrigar is the author of HONOR, a Reese’s Book Club pick.

In Museum of Failures we meet Remy Wadia, who moved to the US from India leaving unsupportive mother behind. He makes a life in Columbus Ohio, but returns to Bombay ("The Museum of Failures"l) To adopt a child and see his mother who is gravely ill. He decides to care for her and unearths a family secret when he is in her home. Remy isn't the most likeable, but this book will make you think of your own family secrets as well as the caste system. You will feel at home with Northern Indian food and the urban noise of Bombay. Umrigar has done an excellent job of creating a harrowing novel of secrets and families that you are not soon to forget!
#algonquin #TheMuseumofFailures #ThrityUmrigar

a heart wrenching, emotional novel; thrity umrigar has done it again.

remy grew up in india with his loving, adoring father and his cold mother. his father did everything for him and loved him deeply. now, he lives in america with his american wife, kathy. unable to conceive, remy travels to bombay in the hopes of meeting a young pregnant woman and adopting her child. when he arrives, the girl has changed her mind, his mother is ailing and extremely sick, and his life is in shambles. a tale of family secrets, love, loss, and misconceptions about one's parents, this is "the museum of failures."

this novel is so emotionally gut wrenching. i read it in one sitting, unable to put it down. umrigar writes with such poetic diction. so much love went into this novel, that is clear. you will question your own childhood, your own upbringing, and your own parents. not everything is as it seems, and no parent is perfect. this novel captivated me, made me cry, and filled my heart with warmth.

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

The Museum of Failures is a moving story of family secrets, forgiveness, and understanding. It follows Remy Wadia, back in Bombay to adopt a child, and to check in on his estranged mother. But nothing is quite working out as planned. As necessary truths are finally shared, Remy is forced to rethink his entire life. It is beautifully written, heart-warming, and wonderfully welcoming into the Parsi community even while unraveling the reasons home is complicated for Remy.

I appreciated Museum of Failures the more I read it. Remy, who has a strained realtionship with his mother, returns to India to potelntially adopt a child from his friend's niece. The situation becomes complicated. While there, he learns that his mother is in the hopsital. As he helps her recover, Remy learns about a family secret that changes his perspectiveabout his parents.

Remy Wadia left his childhood in India behind when he started his adult life in the United States. Upon returning to India to adopt a baby, his relationship with his mother is haunted by their contentious past. Over the course of several weeks Remy must re-examine his memories and perspectives, overturning his perceptions as family secrets are revealed. Thrity Umrigar skillfully leads the reader through a journey of understanding and forgiveness. A tragic, yet uplifting novel, beautifully written.

I was happy to see a new Thrity Umrigar book, she is one of my favorite novelists. The Museum of Failures follows Remy Wadia as he travels from the United States back to Bombay. Remy is there to meet with friends and their niece who is pregnant. She would like to give her baby up for adoption to Remy and his wife.

While in Bombay, Remy is also there to visit his mother. He has always had a strained relationship with her as she can be harsh and difficult. Remy was much closer to his father, Cyrus, who passed away several years ago. Remy finds out that his mother is not well and has been hospitalized with pneumonia. As Remy spends time with his mother helping her recuperate, he begins to deepen his relationship with her. He makes a discovery that changes him and makes him reevaluate what he knows of his parents.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved learning more about India and the Parsi culture. It was interesting to learn about Remy and his family through current timeline as well as flashbacks into the past.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

4.5 stars

What we perceive as failures are just life's inverventions to breathe fully and reconstruct our present route.

Remy Wadia is on a mission. He's just arrived in his home city of Bombay. He and his American wife, Kathy, will be adopting a child. Kathy, a dedicated pediatrician, is back in Columbus, Ohio. She trusts Remy to finalize the adoption. The details involve the niece of one of his best friends who is giving up her baby at birth. At nineteen and a college student, Monaz feels it's the best thing to do. She also fears telling her parents of her situation.

But when Remy finally arrives, he's shocked to find his widowed mother, Shirin, in the hospital. She's in serious condition. She was suppose to be in the care of two distant cousins in the same building. Remy spends hour upon hour monitoring her care. Shirin has a tough nature and is curt with anyone within her range. This includes her son, Remy, who has never been able to find a comfortable space in her inner circle.

The Museum of Failures is a wide expanse of relationships between family members, social and cultural lines, and personal views of what life's dynamics should entail. Thrity Umrigar can write. If you want an example of her artful talent, I'd suggest picking up her previous offering, Honor. Honor was a 5 Star masterpiece for me.

This current novel is a knotted, complicated journey into knotted, complicated topics. Umrigar takes on life in current India and America. She goes deep.......so deep that she injects politics of America into her writing. Fictional writing is a form of escapism. Many of us don't wish to hear the author's slant through the voice of a character. Pro or con, I just want the purity of the plot, especially when those politics have nothing to do with the storyline directly. Authors just somehow want to become relevant in these tension-filled times. I get that.

The Museum of Failures is still a worthy read. It just went long in its telling revisiting situations again and again. The ending seemed a bit contrived as well. But I'm a solid fan of Thrity Umrigar and will wait for the next one with open arms.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Algonquin Books and to Thrity Umrigar for the opportunity.

The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar

India has always been a museum of failures for Remy. His fraught relationship with his mother and the recent death of his father make this last visit no different, until he begins to reckon with his complicated past and discovers nothing is as it appears.

Umrigar is unparalleled in her ability to write about the complicated relationships we have with home. She did it with Honor and again, here. While this didn't have the same propulsive energy as Honor, I found much of the writing moving, and the story impactful.

Thanks very much to @netgalley and @algonquinbooks for the advanced copy. The Museum of Failures will be available on Sept 26, 2023!

An excellent read on multiple levels. A taste of Mumbai- its massive crowds , smog, pollution , poverty and privilege of some residents and how they live. Indeed the title refers to the city itself and how it can break your heart and crush your dreams.
A young man returns to India from his home in Ohio ostensibly to adopt a child. In the process, he learns of his true family dynamics and the events, previously unknown to him, that shaped his relationship with his parents. A journey of discovery and of love, of the value of true friendship, and a discovery of what’s truly important in life.

Emotionally gripping! This heart wrenching story will have you deep in thought about your own family secrets and relationships.

Several years after his father’s death, Remy Wadia returns to his homeland in Bombay, India while his American wife Kathy remains at their home in Columbus, Ohio. The reason for his trip is to meet with the pregnant teen niece of a friend who would like to relinquish her child upon birth to Remy and Kathy for adoption. However, his immediate attention gets directed to his mother Shirin, a difficult and harsh woman during his childhood years and who is now uncommunicative and hospitalized with pneumonia. As the days and weeks unfold, Remy makes a discovery about his family that will have him reevaluate everything he believed to be true about his parents and his relationship with them.

In true Thrity Umrigar style, the novel is written with great depth and understanding about family relationships within the Indian culture. We can almost feel the grit of Bombay, taste the cuisine and feel both the richness and the pain of the societal caste system and customs.

Thank you NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the opportunity to read this beautiful story in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: September 26, 2023

A beautifully written book - both heart wrenching and heart warming. An exploration of family, caste, class, and the power of love. Definitely in my top 10 of 2023.