Honor

THE JANUARY 2022 REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK "Thrity Umrigar tells a story of India with the intimacy of one who knows the many facets of a land both modern and ancient, awash in contradictions," similar to how A Thousand Splendid Suns presented the story of Afghanistan's women.— Lisa Wingate, the #1 bestselling author of Before We Were Yours on the New York Times In this riveting and immersive novel, bestselling author Thrity Umrigar tells the story of two couples and the sometimes dangerous and heartbreaking challenges of love across a cultural divide.   Smita, an Indian American journalist, went back to India to cover a story, although she and her family had left the nation a long time ago with no plan to return. Smita encounters a society where tradition is valued more highly than one's own feelings as she pursues the case of Meena, a Hindu woman who was attacked by members of her own village and family for being married to a Muslim man. She also discovers a tale that bears the potential to reveal the traumatic details of Smita's own past. Smita makes every effort to tip the scales in an attempt to save Meena's life. Additionally, she notices that she is attracted more and more to Mohan, an Indian guy she encounters while on assignment. But the dual love stories of Honor are as different as the cultures of Meena and Smita Smita realizes she has the freedom to enter into a casual affair, knowing she can decide later how much it means to her. Thrity Umrigar portrays two brave women who are attempting to balance being loyal to their homelands and to themselves in this poignant and moving book about love, hope, family loyalty, treachery, and sacrifice.