I just read this book for my June book club meeting. It took me a while to get through it, but it was interesting nonetheless. This book is set in India, Mumbai to be exact. This book is centered around two main characters - Bhima and Serabai. Bhima is a maid for Serabai and lives in the slums with her granddaughter Maya, and Serabai is a member of the middle class and lives in an apartment in a high rise building in Mumbai. The book details the two women's lives and how they intersect and effect one another. I learned a great deal in this book about the Indian culture and the class system. This book also deals with the power of ignorance in your life and how it can mold who you are and the decisions you make in your life. It also deal with the issue of prejudice, and how even if you care about someone so much, the prejudice you feel towards their class of people overrides any care you might feel for them. This is not a happy book. Its realistic and deals with difficult topics, including abortion (just to forewarn ya).
I won't lie and say that I didn't skim it the last 100 pages, mostly because I had only read half the day of our book club. But it is a good book, well written, and worthy of your time if you are looking for a more serious book.
Up next: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Next (by Steig Larssen)
