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Book Summary and Reviews of The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar

The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar

The Museum of Failures

by Thrity Umrigar

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  • Sep 2023, 368 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

An immersive story about family secrets and the power of forgiveness from the bestselling author of Reese's Book Club pick Honor

When Remy Wadia left India for the United States, he carried his resentment of his cold and inscrutable mother with him and has kept his distance from her. Years later, he returns to Bombay, planning to adopt a baby from a young pregnant girl—and to see his elderly mother again before it is too late. She is in the hospital, has stopped talking, and seems to have given up on life.

Struck with guilt for not realizing just how ill she had become, Remy devotes himself to helping her recover and return home. But one day in her apartment he comes upon an old photograph that demands explanation. As shocking family secrets surface, Remy finds himself reevaluating his entire childhood and his relationship to his parents, just as he is on the cusp of becoming a parent himself. Can Remy learn to forgive others for their human frailties, or is he too wedded to his sorrow and anger over his parents' long-ago decisions?

Surprising, devastating, and ultimately a story of redemption and healing still possible between a mother and son, The Museum of Failures is a tour de force from one of our most elegant storytellers about the mixed bag of love and regret. It is also, above all, a much-needed reminder that forgiveness comes from empathy for others.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. Remy has so many advantages in his life in America. Why does he still feel divided about living there?
  2. What do you think of Cyrus's decision? Do you understand it, or do you think it was selfish? Would you have been able to forgive a parent who made such decision? As a parent, what kinds of information have you kept from your children and how does that make you feel?
  3. How do you think Remy's ignorance of his true past affected his personality?
  4. What do you think would have happened had Shirin told Remy the truth? Why didn't she? How do you feel about her choice? How did your feelings for her change as you heard her version of their past?
  5. The flashback scenes ...
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Reviews

Media Reviews

"[Umrigar] creates interesting characters and complex relationships, builds thematic tension and narrative suspense, and delivers emotionally resonant moments at just the right pace… [A] rich, heartfelt novel. This is a touching story about what it really means to grow up and into an authentic life." ―Kirkus Reviews

"Umrigar (Honor) returns with another rich and emotionally gripping story...Umrigar continues to impress." ―Publishers Weekly

"A sensitive exploration of love in its different forms—romantic, maternal, filial, platonic—and forgiveness. Umrigar's fluid prose and well-wrought characters capture the milieu of the Parsi community past and present…This is a compelling read." —Booklist

"Family secrets are constellations made of falling stars. When scattered across the vast expanse of our lives, they lead us, guide us, but often in the wrong direction. With Thrity Umrigar's signature blend of emotional depth and compassionate storytelling, The Museum of Failures is a poignant and profound exploration of what happens when someone's entire life, their entire journey, has been spent off-course. I feel this book. You will too." ―Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

"There's no powder keg like a family secret. And when it explodes, nothing in the past is ever as it was, and nothing in the future is ever the same. The Museum of Failures is a symphony of secrets and lies, love and hate, regret and forgiveness, but more than that, the unraveling of everything one holds dear to find something more precious and elusive: oneself. Powerful and engrossing." ―Marlon James Booker Prize winning Author of Moon Witch, Spider King

"Wrenching and uplifting, lighthearted and profound, The Museum of Failures is a suspenseful, beautifully plotted tribute to the complicated yet steadfast love between parents and children." ―Megha Majumdar, author of A Burning

This information about The Museum of Failures was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Thrity Umrigar Author Biography

Thrity Umrigar is the bestselling author of eight novels, including The Space Between Us, which was a finalist for the PEN/Beyond Margins Award, as well as a memoir and three picture books. Her books have been translated into several languages and published in more than fifteen countries. She is the winner of a Lambda Literary Award and a Seth Rosenberg Award and is Distinguished Professor of English at Case Western Reserve University. A former prize-winning journalist, she has contributed to the  Boston Globe , the Washington Post, the New York Times and Huffington Post.

Author Interview
Link to Thrity Umrigar's Website

Name Pronunciation
Thrity Umrigar: thri-tee oomrigar

Other books by Thrity Umrigar at BookBrowse
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