The Story Hour is another fantastic book by Thrity Umrigar, one of my favorite authors. Lakshmi, an uneducated Indian woman living in the states far from home and married to a man who doesn’t love her, tries to commit suicide. This is how she meets Maggie, who becomes her therapist and friend.

There are few storytellers who have the ability to create such sympathetic characters and draw the reader in the way that Umrigar does. She writes about race, gender, family, class, identity, depression without ever preaching. Told from alternating perspectives, we discover surprising truths about both women. I couldn’t put this book down. A highly recommended read.