Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book we are reading or plan to read soon. This week's pick is a new book which releases TODAY! The author's previous books are ones that I have enjoyed in the past.
I'm almost done with this one but, I can tell you that this is a very well-written and intense read that makes you think and feel. A story about two very different women who are brought together after a horrific act of violence in India.
I'm not including the full description of the book as I thought it gave away too much of the storyline. (I hope to post my full review in a few days.)
Book One - Chapter One
THE AIR SMELLED of burnt rubber.
That was the first thing that Smita Agarwal noticed as she stepped out of the cool, rarefied air of the airport and into the warm, still Mumbai night. The next instant, she recoiled as the sound hit her--the low rumble of a thousand human voices, punctured by occasional barks of laughter and shrill police whistles. She gaped at the sight of the wall of people, standing behind the metal barriers, waiting for their relatives to emerge. She wondered if the old Indian custom of entire families converging to drop off travelers still prevailed in 2018, but before she could complete the thought, she felt her throat burn from the smell of exhaust fumes and her eardrums thrum from the blare of the cars just beyond the waiting crowd.
About the Author
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 recipient of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard, she has contributed to the Boston Globe , the Washington Post, the New York Times and Huffington Post.
Great excerpt! So descriptive that I feel as if I'm right there with them. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteI do love when an intro draws you in like that.
DeleteI love that atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteMe too Greg!
DeleteI'm an Umrigar fan and won a copy of this book from goodreads. Planning to read it later this month or early February. I does sound intense...
ReplyDeleteOh good - I do like this author. I hope you like it.
DeleteI'm definitely intrigued by the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI liked that beginning as well Catherine.
DeleteThat's a great intro and very descriptive. It brings you right into the book. I would keep reading.
ReplyDeleteI liked the intro as well Yvonne.
DeleteI will definitely read this one, as I loved The Space Between Us (although I didn't love The World We Found). That excerpt brings to mind Rohinton Mistry's novel A Fine Balance, which is outstanding and one that my book group is reading this year.
ReplyDeleteI liked the intro and enjoyed the book (just finished) tough read at times.
DeleteOh yes! I definitely want to read this!
DeleteI finished it but, no review yet. So well written but tough at times - subject matter.
DeleteI'm looking forward to this one. I loved The Space Between Us so I can't wait to see what this one will be like. That opening is so vivid isn't it?
ReplyDelete