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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Kirkus notes Sera's violent marriage to a man who beat her, and a mother-in-law who tormented her; Bhima's husband is maimed and abandons the family after kidnapping their son
Language
Some
Restrained literary prose; abuse and class contempt land through content, not profanity
Sexual Content
Some
An unplanned teenage pregnancy drives the plot and its origin is disclosed; there is no explicit sexual description
Substance Use
A lot
Bhima's husband is an alcoholic whose drinking dismantles the household — Kirkus makes this central to her history
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
Domestic violence, the death of Bhima's parents from AIDS, an abortion decision, and the everyday humiliations of caste and class
What this book is about
Sera Dubash and her domestic servant Bhima have shared decades of confidences, but Bhima still cannot sit on the furniture or drink from the family's cups. When Bhima's granddaughter Maya gets pregnant and drops out of college, the crisis exposes exactly how far class loyalty extends. Umrigar alternates their histories against the present.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Domestic violence in two marriages
Alcoholism
Teen pregnancy and abortion
Caste and class humiliation
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