The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar

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.