Customer Reviews

The Weight of Heaven LP: A Novel

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

I discovered Thrity Umrigar in 2008, and she has since become a favorite author of mine. I felt honored to have received an advance copy of her new book: The Weight of Heaven, published by Harper Collins.

In her new novel we meet Frank and Ellie Benton, a grief stricken couple from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who have just lost their seven year old son Benny, after a short illness. Unable to cope with this horrific loss, Frank accepts a new assignment running a factory, Herbal Solutions, in Girbaug, India, a coastal village near Bombay.

Unfortunately, the factory and its Third World workers are in the midst of a labor dispute over low wages. Frank calls the workers "lazy", and his wife sees the workers as justified. Ellie sides with the workers, suggesting that Frank give them a few "rupees" to make them feel like they "won". Even in India, Frank and Ellie are conflicted. Frank has difficulties understanding why his workers don't act like his workers did in America. This additional conflict only adds to the pain he is still experiencing in India over the loss of his son. Ellie on the other hand sees her new surroundings as an opportunity to help the less fortunate women in the village (she is a psychologist/therapist), and believes there is so much to teach these poor women that she sees at a local health clinic. She is determined to not let grief define her life, because she believes her son would not have wanted that.

Frank before long begins to find some comfort tutoring Ramesh, the young son of the couple's housekeeper. The boy is very bright and eager to learn. Before long, his interest in helping the boy becomes an obsession and new conflicts arise between Frank and Prakash, the boy's resentful, bitter, father. Frank will do anything to keep that bright and personable boy close by, no matter what it takes.

The Weight of Heaven is a hauntingly beautiful story about cultural divides and misunderstandings. It is a story about loss and working through grief, and one of those rare books that forces you as the reader to take stock of your life, and to think about the things that really matter most. The ending is shocking, but in some strange way--- wonderful. I am happy to say that this is one of those rare books, that left an imprint with me long after the final page was turned. There are so many beautiful passages that I found myself reading over and over again; a true gem. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!

I adored Thrity Umrigar's The Space Between Us so began this book with high expectations. The voice was not as breathtaking, but still I was drawn in to an author who wants her readers to think and feel and contemplate as they fall into the rhythms of her writing and the diverse, dynamic Indian worlds she so deftly creates. The theme of the wealthy and personally aggrieved encountering the poor and economically aggrieved was intriguing and I was compelled by Ramesh, a bright, enthusiastic but unworldly child who is caught up in the personal agendas and social machinations of the adults around him. At times, Umrigar really does get it -- displaying the deeply subtle ways that bias and inequity creep into relationships and cause devastation.

But the last part of the book was deeply disappointing for me. Like Chris Cleave in Little Bee, Umrigar seemed to have written her characters into a dilemma that only a HEAVY authorial hand could solve, and suddenly characters were doing things not organic to their apparent natures. Could Frank, who had suffered so greatly from the absence of a father and the loss of a son, really behave as he does? Only if he'd had a complete break from reality, which Umrigar does not convince us of at all. Instead, his actions are supposed to be the bold-stroke end result of his callous attitude towards India, towards the Indian people he does not fully value, but that is such a giant stretch. Earlier incidents much more realistically and truthfully show how cultural blindness and a lack of understanding can have deadly, unwanted effects, but Frank's outrageous and obviously perilous actions make no sense on a personal level. Uninformed, self-obsessed, agonized and lacking in empathy? Sure, that is Frank. Wholly without the most essential fundamentals of morality? No way. There is never any reason to believe he is that unhinged from his humanity. He is painted for nearly all of the book as lost not soulless, but in the end, seems overtaken by Umrigar's desire to hammer home her point more forcefully than necessary,.

Equally disappointing was the abandoning of Ramesh as a full character. He sort of fritters away and becomes just a pawn in Frank's drama, which seemed unsettling given that the book is an indictment of the dominance of the American view. In the end, we have only Frank's view and Ramesh goes back to being a cipher. That seemed a lost opportunity.

Umrigar is incredibly talented and has a lot to say -- I look forward to her writing another novel that hits the mark the way The Space Between Us did.

This is the fourth novel written by Thrity Umrigar. The story involves the loss of a child by an American couple, who subsequently move to India to work at a Multinational corporation in a small town, which they see as a fresh start to their marriage,a way to get over their tragic past. Once they get to India it is mainly a train wreck waiting to happen, as you read the story unfold, one learns about their past lives, their current lives and till eventually the future is here and the train wreck happens. I found the book to be unimaginative and exceedingly unconvincing.

The author is a fantastically talented writer who unfortunately seems to never get beyond the most basic of stories and the most banal cliches. There are clearly a lot of emotions in this book, some of which are indeed believable, however adding some complexity to the characters would perhaps have added to their depth. The characters are very black and white and exceedingly stereotypical. The book deals with the issues of perceived American Imperialism, the impact of multinational corporation on small towns. That said it does not explore any of these issues in a seemingly comprehensive, unbiased way and uses the cliches to add to the predictability of the characters and the story line.

I have read most of the books written by Thrity Umrigar including her memoir First Darling of the Morning: Selected Memories of an Indian Childhood (P.S.), but I have been exceedingly disappointed in the lack of dimensionality in the last few novels written by her and this current one is no exception. I highly recommend reading Bombay Time: A Novel, that is a great piece of work by her. On a personal note, I did write to her after I read that book to tell her I had enjoyed it a lot and she wrote back to me a non-form e-mail, which I think says a lot about the author.

Like the Space Between us, The Weight of Heaven deals with cultural and class divisions, but the novel is primarily about entitlement.

Frank and Ellie are reeling over the death of their son, Benny. Ironically, Benny died in America, where an advanced team of medical specialists could do nothing to save him from the fast onset of typhoid. Frank and Ellie flee to India (one of the few remaining countries that still suffers from bouts of the plague) to try and work out their grief. The entire novel is overshadowed by this unfair, precarious nature of life and death; death pays no attention to cultural, social, political, or class divides.

Frank accepts a job transfer to India, placing him in charge of a plant that harvests local tree leaves for medicinal purposes. The company, HerbalSolutions, has bought the land with the trees from the government. However, the local villages feel entitled to the trees, having harvested and used the leaves for centuries. Conflict ensues.

In the meantime, Frank forms an unhealthy attachment with their servant's young boy, Ramesh, using him as a substitute for his own dead son. Because Ramesh's father is an alcoholic, Frank begins to feel entitled to the boy, believing he can give him a better life. Prakash, the boy's father, is bound by his loyalty as a servant, but struggles with his hatred toward his "master" who is stealing his child from under his nose. (Conflict ensues.)

Umrigar is such an elegant writer. I adore her prose. I have gained such insight into the culture of India thanks to her novels.

She delves into the subject of grief like no other author I've ever read. At one point, I had to put the book down, I couldn't stand the gut-wrenching emotion invoked by the character's overwhelming sense of loss and grief. This book is NOT for those who have lost a small child. Umrigar captures the horrific anguish of the parents. For example, Ellie finds herself haunted by thoughts of worms eating at her son's beautiful body. This is difficult stuff to read. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to write.

The politics are ham-fisted at times. Ellie's liberal ideology is over the top. For instance, at a fourth-of-July party in India, she refuses to sing the Star Spangled Banner, insisting America is a terrorist nation. Meanwhile, she employs two servants who do her laundry and fix her meals while she volunteers occasionally in the small, impoverished village they live near.

Umrigar certainly makes a political point, but also demonstrates that there is no black and white when it comes to politics, class relations, etc. It's all a messy business. Her villain's (Frank's chief of security) are not even types; Gulab shows startling sensitivity and has the admirable Indian trait of unabashed loyalty.

This book is so well written but I'm glad I'm finished with it. It was emotionally draining. Strongly recommended, but be forewarned! This is heavy material.

I felt cheated by this book. Initially I was intrigued by the story of a couple who having lost their young son tragically attempt a new beginning in India. The interracial conflicts and labor issues promised something above the ordinary, but the story was stalled by two flashback sections, one depicting how the couple met and the other, the death of their son. The "romantic" portion was not original, relegating the couple to stereotypes, and the son's death and aftermath should have been placed at the beginning of the book, allowing a freer flow of narrative. Disappointed.

Do not read this book unless you are hoping to be depressed for a while. There is nothing uplifting at all to find in this long and drawn out tale. I turned pages hoping it would get better and was very disappointed. I wont be reading more from this author.

Very disappointing after loving The Space Between Us. Particularly did not like the dialogue between the Americans - the vernacular was way too breezy and the pitch was off. The whole emotional truth in this book was very thin.

I have been a huge fan of Thrity Umrigar's since her first novel, Bombay Time. I won't review the plot of The Weight of Heaven, since other reviewers have done a great job of summarizing.

I recently read First Darling of the Morning, Umrigar's haunting memoir of growing up (and longing to escape from) Bombay. Her own experiences and the deep passion she has for the plight of the less fortunate in India deeply informs her work, which for me makes her writing deeper, more profoundly beautiful, tragic, and true. In this novel the clash of cultures meets the pain of individual tragedy and its fallout.

The serious political, social and ethical issues which Umrigar explores are enhanced by the purity and beauty of her writing. Both have grown and deepened with each novel she has written.

Very highly recommended.

This book grabs you from start to finish. Ms. Umrigar captures the essence of the human spirit and beautifully characterizes a variety of emotions that exist in all of us, good and bad. She defines the cultural differences in such a way that you really begin to question your own ability to grasp, understand, and accept the fragility of human nature, no matter where you come from or where you find yourself. This is a wonderful book for any book club as there are so many elements of discussion brought to the crossfire. READ THIS BOOK. You will be captivated. If you haven't read Ms. Umrigar's other books you must begin now as you will not be disappointed. You'll find yourself discovering a new favorite author like I, and many others, have!!!!!

This was the 2nd book I've read by Umrigar and I enjoyed her other book, The Space Between Us, more than this one. The book is comprised of two main characters, husband and wife, who have lost their 7 yr old son, basically overnight, to meningitis, while the husband was away traveling for his job. To get over this loss, the wife, who has her doctorate in psychology, pushes her husband to accept a promotion as a plant manager at one of his company's manufacturing sites in India.

The husband blames the wife for their son's death and the wife's thoughts are somewhat less clear. Chapters are written from 3-4 different character's perspectives and rotate as needed to tell the story line. I found the husband's thought processes to be somewhat unbelievable and could never really engage in the story. It's a sad read, as any book would be about this topic and has an even sadder ending. If you really liked the author's other books, you will probably like this, but if not, then keep looking.