More than failures, The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar is all about secrets – family secrets and the resulting trauma that children carry into adulthood and their own journey into parenthood. The book packages this family's entire history from before Remy's birth until his now-middle-age into a neat and tidy ending. This, to me, lessons the impact of this story. Nevertheless, an emotional family story and a depiction of the immigrant experience that will stay with me.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/01/the-museum-of-failures.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher’s blog tour.

Perfect blending of cultures and I’m shocked this hasn’t been talked about more! I loved it. The family dynamics feel real, characters are real.

Atmospheric and beautiful writing. A complex family story. It definitely transports me into the mood and time - that sort of loneliness within a family. Look forward to more of Umrigar's writing!

I really loved Umrigar's "Honor" so I was really looking forward to her new book, "museum of failures." Our MC is from India and returns to visit his mother and realizes that she has been neglected and has not been cared for the way he expected. He winds up staying in India for an extended period of time, and naturally family secrets and dynamics arise and are examined,

In the first half of the book I thought that I'd be giving the book 3 stars as things felt repetitive and I did not feel that I was making much progress in the story, I felt that we were rehashing the same few grievances within the family. But as we neared the final third, a secret was revealed that turned the whole thing on it's head and I sped thru the remaining pages. I would have preferred the pacing had been consistent, as it feels a bit like cheating when I rate a book highly simply because the ending was good.

I am not usually a fan of the unlikable character, if our MC is unlikable, often that means I will be left with a bad taste in my mouth but Umrigar is particularly skilled at making flawed, complex characters that although their behavior is not always easy to wrap our brains around, their motives and background make it easier to understand and sympathize with. In this case Remy is often selfish, with selfish motivations and self absorbed perceptions and I did certainly find him obnoxious at times, but ultimately still forgivable and easy to empathize with.

I personally always love books set in India as I am super fascinated by the country, I love the exotic feel mixed in with the slight sense of danger. This book was not quite as good as Honor, and felt a little meandering at times, but it was a decent follow up and good enough that I will not be giving up on her as a writer and I will look forward to her future endeavors.

This story deals with forgiveness, healing and redemption. Remy Wadia carries the anger and resentment of his mother into his adulthood. When he returns to India to adopt a child of his own, he visits his invalid mother. While there, he finds a photo and other documents that shed light on a different aspect of his mother causing him to re-evaluate his feelings. The story provides a good reminder to readers that forgiveness comes from empathy for others. Along Remy’s journey, the reader finds themself questioning their own childhood perceptions and upbringing in light of the knowledge adulthood gives us.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Once again Umrigar has written a not-put-downable (for all you grammarians) novel of family. The Museum of Failures is about forgiveness and secrets. Remy returns to Bombay in hopes of adopting a baby. He plans to reluctantly visit his mother. When his father passed away three years earlier, the difficult relationship between Remy and his mother did not improve. He discovers that his mother is very ill and in hospital. As their relationship begins to soften, he finally learns the secret that his parents kept from him. I have enjoyed all of Umrigar’s wonderful novels. She’s a great storyteller.

Umrigar's tale of family secrets and how they can affect the perceptions held by a child of one parent vs another was very well done. She explores the outward effects as the son himself takes a step in pursuing parenthood himself.

Through memory and recollections and hard conversations, we discover that the idea held by Remi needs to be reevaluated and past grievances need to be addressed and reconciled.

I loved the atmosphere of support and love that was in this story, even as we see certain aspects of tradition that may have been seen as harsh and needed to be challenged.

I need to preface this review with this - I am not a lover of Literary Fiction [much to the dismay of the bestie who ADORES LitFict] and had I known [or paid attention when I requested this], I probably would not have requested this. I say all this because had I not, I would have missed out on a really excellent read [I still have book hangover 24+ hours later if that tells you anything].

This is a story about love. And coming home. And tradition. And secrets [and A L L the damage they do]. And going into something and by the end realizing that that wasn't what you needed at all and making peace with that. And wrapped up in ALL of that [again], is love. Deep, quiet, passionate, all encompassing, love. Familial love. Marital love. The love of friends who have grown up together and managed to stay friends despite time and distance. The love of a child and all one would do for that child. And love for a child you didn't even know you wanted.

While the middle drags a bit [its the blatherblatherblather of LitFict that drives me crazy and just IMO slows the book W A Y down], so much, that I was tempted to throw in the towel and abandon the book, but then, about 2 hours from the end, it picks up and O M G my heart was crushed over and over, ugly tears commenced, and again, I am still reeling from very unexpected book hangover. So glad I took a chance on this one. Brilliant.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thrity Umrigar, and Algonquin Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you go into this one thinking you’ll be gutted like you were in Honor, it’ll be a let down. I shouldn’t have, as it’s not fair but nonetheless that was my comparison on one of my favorite books last year, this one just didn’t compare. It felt, slower? I was certainly less emotionally connected I think due to pacing. It also felt a tad longer than necessary. I loved the last 1/3rd of the book and it anything that portion felt rushed.

This book follows another unlikeable main character, that just felt whiney and dissatisfied and a mother that was cold and distant. That said, Umrigar can no doubt write and capture your attention.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umigar.

When Remy returns to India after living his life in America, he could never guess what what was in store for him. Set to adopt the baby of an unwed pregnant mother sets him on a long road of learning about his cold, semi-estranged mother. Learning about how sick and uncared for he is renews his dedication to her wellbeing, while also discovering why his childhood was so full of sadness and anger. It also helps him and his mother bridge a cold distance between them that they harbored for years.

This was such a sweet and sad story full of heart, frustration, redemption and forgiveness. It's a reminder that life is short, but it's also long enough for us to grow and develop compassion for situations that we may not have previously understood. Very worthwhile read.

What an amazing author and what an amazing read! Each book I read by her only adds to her repertoire of fascinating and powerful books.
Remy Wadia, has left India to escape a mother who has rejected and hurt him his entire life. He moves to the United States where he finds success, love and a new world. His return to his native country is necessitated by his mother's illness and a plan to adopt a child and bring her back to his wife and begin a family.
The writing is beautiful. The author's understanding of dealing with aging parents is so well done. Her description of loss and coping with the unimaginable of suffering, both physically and emotionally, is so imposing.
The story keeps you guessing until the very end. A great book!

This is a sad but beautiful story about family and becoming a parent. It's moving and twisty (the family secret threw me for a loop!) with wonderfully complex characters.

Thanks to Algonquin books for the copy to review.

3.5 stars - I really liked the last half, but the first half dragged, and the MC was frustrating and self-righteous, so it was hard to root for him. I loved the development of his relationship with his mother and the family secret aspect, but I wish that had come into play earlier in the story.

I have been wanting to read a book by Thrity Umrigar (First Darling of the Morning, The World We Found, Reese Book Club pick Honor and more) for quite some time and her latest, THE MUSEUM OF FAILURES, is excellent. It revolves around a young man, Remy Wadia, who has returned to India in the hopes of adopting a Parsi baby with his American wife, Kathy. He also has not seen his mother, Shirin, for three years and is shocked to learn she is in hospital and near death. This story is full of emotion and Remy, especially, has to deal with grief, anger, loneliness, fear, and confusion. Umrigar writes that Remy "had often thought of Bombay as the museum of failures, an exhibit hall filled with thwarted dreams and broken promises." The novel explores his growth as he is devastated by past secrets and re-evaluates important relationships. THE MUSEUM OF FAILURES is a LibraryReads selection for September 2023 and highly recommended. 4.5 stars

“What a monster time is, laying to waste everything in its path, destroying youth and beauty, even tarnishing memory. Maybe that was the only thing humans had to fear - the steady ticktock, the relentless current. Because, ultimately, what was death, even, other than the ceasing the clock?”

If there’s anything I’ve learned during my time on earth, it is that things aren’t always as they seem. And yet, when it comes time to use this knowledge in practicality, everything seems to fly out of our minds. We take everything at face value, without stopping to think about the nuances.

Thrity Umrigar’s newest book, The Museum of Failures, is a lesson in seeing the undertones, to acknowledging them while staying kind to oneself, to emerge from seeing ourselves as a museum of failures. We follow Remy Wadia, who’s returning to India to adopt a child and plans to visit his mother, almost as an afterthought. But he discovers that she is unwell, has stopped speaking, and is now in the hospital. Guilt eats at him and he decides to help her recover before returning to his life in the USA. But as time passes, he discovers truths and family secrets that shake him to his core. What Remy does in the face of his foundations crumbling remains to be seen.

Thrity Umrigar is a master storyteller, taking these questions about familial relationships and secrets, life and death, love, faith, and forgiveness, and turning them into points to ponder with the wide-lensed perspective that she offers. She does all of this with such empathy and kindness, so beautifully, that even though you find yourself swinging from one end of the radar to the next in how you feel about these characters, you just see it all. You question yourself and everything you know - the mark of a great book and a great author.

The first half of the book does feel a stretch, but there’s beauty in its slow pace, not frustration. When the characters go over their experiences multiple times, it might seem like unnecessary repetition, but you will appreciate it in the second half, when everything comes out in the open. They say the devil is in the details but in this book, the smallest details have such mind-numbing explanations that you readily forgive everything that you thought was negative about it.

If you’ve never read a Thrity Umrigar book, let this be the one you start with. One of my few 5 stars of 2023!

I tried to get into this book a few times but it was a struggle. I can’t fault the story itself because I waited to listen to the audiobook and that format didn’t work for me. The narrator’s female voice just ruined things for me so my rating and review is skewed by the experience. That being said, I do enjoy this author and will make sure to read her future books if the same narrator is chosen.

First things first, I LOVE Thrity's books. Honor was one of my favorites of 2021 and has a spot on my "best of all time" shelf. I was so excited to dive into her latest--and even got an early copy from @netgalley (which I promptly finished after the pub date. :/). Still, this book was so emotionally satisfying. Not many authors can pull the heartstrings, educate about other cultures, and speak to the endurance of humanity in the face of tragedy like Thrity.

Remy Wadia is back in Bombay to adopt a baby from a young pregnant relative of his friend. When back in the city he calls, the "museum of failures," he reconnects with his mother, whose distance and coldness have plagued Remy and his relationship with her for most of his life. While there, family secrets are uncovered, tragedies are revealed, and he slowly makes peace with his family, his life, and, most importantly, his home city and country.

Unlike Honor, which revolved around a pretty stark and horrific cultural practice, this one is more personal and domestic. Remy's family struggles, as well as those of his mother and father, speak to Indian culture, the Indian-American experience, and issues that affect anyone. In Umrigar's delicate and deft writing hands, each is explored with emotion and grace.

If you're not in the mood to read about riding dragons or heading off to London to find your soulmate during the holiday season, check out this affecting and emotional drama. It's the perfect book to cozy up to when you're stuck inside during chilly, snowy season and want to cry but also be moved by the resilience of humanity.

Thanks to @netgalley and @algonquinbooks for the gifted copy!

READ IF YOU LIKE...
• Uncovering family secrets
• Mother-son relationships
• Critically examining privilege

I THOUGHT IT WAS...
An impactful story about family secrets and their consequences. After years away, Remy returns home to India to pursue a potential adoption opportunity. While there, his plan to surprise his mother goes sideways once he realizes she's been hospitalized. Being by her side, Remy has to confront their stilted relationship.

This was an interesting reading experience because I wasn't sure about the novel until I was about halfway through. The reason was the protagonist. At first, the more I got to know Remy, the more I disliked him. He was a perfect example of someone who believes himself a good and generous person while completely unaware of his privilege, with a bad tendency of throwing money at a situation to "fix" it.

But his character does develop by the end of the novel. At least, I can see him moving in the right direction. And the biggest contribution to that is the heartwrenching relationship with his mother, which deepens throughout the novel. Something that struck me was how his mother didn't want condolences or recognition of the challenges she faced. The only thing she sought was the love of her son, which is motherhood in its very essence.

Travel to India with Remy Wadia who is making a long overdue trip to his hometown, Bombay, to meet the pregnant girl whose baby he and his wife are planning to adopt. While in India, he plans to make a surprise visit to see his mother from whom he is estranged from. Then the adoption gets complicated and he finds out his mother has been hospitalized and the cousins who were supposed to keep an eye on her didn’t, Remy takes on caring for his difficult mother. As he makes repairs to her home and hears her delusional outbursts, he discovers the buried secrets that his mother lived with and that maybe she wasn’t “difficult” but that she was just heartbroken.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about family secrets, misunderstood resentments and eventual forgiveness and healing. The way the relationship between mother and son unfolded was done so well. Thrity Umrigar has written another great story and I look forward to exploring her backlist and future work.

Thank you to @netgalley and @algonquinbooks for an early review copy.

I absolutely love Umrigar's work and this was no exception. She beautifully captures each character and makes the reader feel every emotion so intensely.