The World We Found: A Novel - Softcover

Thrity Umrigar

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062130250 ISBN 13: 9780062130259

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2012

Synopsis

University students in late 1970s Bombay, Armaiti, Laleh, Kavita, and Nishta were inseparable. Spirited and unconventional, they challenged authority and fought for a better world. But much has changed in the thirty years since those heady days. Following different paths, the quartet has drifted apart, and the day-to-day demands of work and family have tempered the revolutionary fervor they shared. Then comes devastating news: Armaiti, who moved to America, is dying and wants to see the old friends she left behind. For Laleh, reunion is a bittersweet reminder of unfulfilled dreams and unspoken guilt. For Kavita, it is an admission of forbidden passion. For Nishta, it is the end of self-delusion and the promise of freedom from a bitter fundamentalist husband. As for Armaiti, it is an act of acceptance, of letting go on her own terms even if her ex-huband and daughter do not understand her choices. In the course of their journey to reconnect, Armaiti, Laleh, Kavita, and Nishta must confront the truths of their lives - acknowledge long-held regrets, face painful secrets and hidden desires, and reconcile their idealistic past and their compromised present. And they will have to decide what matters most - a choice that just may help them reclaim the extraordinary world they once found. Exploring the enduring bonds of friendship and the power of love to change lives, and offering an indelible portrait of modern India - a nation struggling to bridge economic, religious, gender, and generational divides - "The World We Found" is a dazzling masterwork from the remarkable Thrity Umrigar.

About this title

Review:

"Absorbing. . . . A rewarding novel."--Publishers Weekly

"Asparkling and sharp slice of life."--Nina Sankovitch, Huffington Post

"There's ample discussion to be had here on the topics of family, friendship, religion and marriage. Umrigar is a lively storyteller. The women are sympathetic characters, their relationships fully realized and deeply felt. . . . Umrigar's evocative world is one worth finding, indeed."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"THE WORLD WE FOUND is stunning in its credibility and nuance. . . . This is a novel that rewards reading, and even re-reading. THE WORLD WE FOUND is a powerful meditation."--Boston Globe

"THE WORLD WE FOUND is absorbing and resonant."--Cleveland Plain Dealer

""The World We Found" is stunning in its credibility and nuance. . . . This is a novel that rewards reading, and even re-reading. "The World We Found" is a powerful meditation."--Boston Globe

""The World We Found" is absorbing and resonant."--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Luminous. . . . Wise and absorbing, Umrigar's novel has the rich, chaotic vibrancy of a Mumbai marketplace."--People

"A storyteller through and through, Umrigar ensures that her characters face up to the costs and consequences created by their choices, right or wrong, principled or unprincipled."--Washington Post

"The World We Found" is stunning in its credibility and nuance.... This is a novel that rewards reading, and even re-reading. "The World We Found" is a powerful meditation. --Boston Globe"

From the Back Cover:

As students in 1970s Bombay, Armaiti, Laleh, Kavita, and Nishta were inseparable, but the quartet has since drifted apart.

When Armaiti, now living in America, learns that she is gravely ill, she hopes to see the friends she left behind thirty years ago.

For Laleh, reunion is bittersweet, but she promises to fulfill her friend's wish. She convinces Kavita to put aside the past, and the two search for Nishta, who has long been hiding in a bitter, oppressive marriage. In the course of their journey to reconnect, the four women must confront the truths of their lives and acknowledge long-held regrets, secrets, and desires. And they will have to decide what matters most, a choice that just may help them reclaim the extraordinary world they once found.

Exploring the enduring bonds of friendship and offering an unforgettable portrait of modern India, The World We Found is a dazzling masterwork from the remarkable Thrity Umrigar.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0062130250
• ISBN 13: 9780062130259
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320