Bombay Time by Thrity Umrigar
Jimmy Kanga was throwing a party. His only son (and only child) was getting married, and Jimmy wanted to celebrate. It was a large party including many friends, colleagues from his law office, and most important of all, his neighbors at Wadia Baug, the venerable 120 year old apartment building where Jimmy had lived most of his life. In India's sea of Hindus and Muslims, Wadia Baug was a tiny island of Parsis. Like Jimmy, most of these Parsi friends had lived at Wadia Baug most of their lives, and they were like an extended family. They helped each other raise their children; they celebrated joyful occasions; they cared for each other when they were sick; they comforted each other at the death of a family member or loved one. Jimmy had asked them to stay after the party for a small, intimate celebration. He had a surprise for them.
Taking each of the special Wadia Baug guests in turn, Thrity Umrigar painted an intimate portrait of their lives. Now they were older, with gray hair, but she painted a far richer portrait of each of them, a portrait filled with the bright colors of the joys of their youth as well as the sad colors of their losses. There were the young boys, smiling, happy, filled with confidence of a successful and happy future. There were the girls, pretty, alluring, playful, also filled with confidence for the future. Along life's road, losses and pain intervened for each one, robbing them of their confidence and then their joy, leaving them older and sadder. The richness of the portraits of these close friends fills this wonderful book and gives it a richness in turn. After the party, Jimmy's surprise for each of his friends helped them to remember the joys of their lives. It helped them to let go of the pain that had accumulated through the years. It reinforced their love for each other. It gave them comfort and peace.
This is a wonderful book. In giving comfort and peace to these friends, it gives comfort and peace to its readers.
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