Thrity Umrigar (The Space Between Us) has written a compelling story of four women, friends since 1970s university days in Bombay. Thirty years ago, they were filled with revolutionary fervor, hoping to be part of the creation of a New India. Their lives have taken very different paths but, despite time and distance, their connection to one another remains strong.
Now, devastating news comes from Armaiti in the United States to Laleh, still in Bombay. Armaiti is very ill and longs to see the three friends she left behind when she married Richard. Laleh's husband, Adish, was a friend to all the girls--they referred to him as "Mr. Fixit"--and his help in organizing this trip will become more necessary than ever. Laleh gets in touch with Kavita immediately; Nishta is harder to find.
Laleh, always a worrier, blames herself, unreasonably, for Armaiti's illness. Years before, during a protest march, Armaiti suffered a concussion, which Laleh believes she could have prevented, and she thinks it is the cause of Armaiti's illness. Kavita's secret is that she has always been in love with Armaiti. Her current relationship with Ingrid is a happy one--but nothing like her hidden passion for Armaiti.
When they find Nishta, they realize that she has been changed dramatically by her marriage to a devout Muslim--Nishta is a prisoner in her home. Her friends rediscover their revolutionary zeal as they--and Mr. Fixit--conspire to get her to the airport. --Valerie Ryan, Cannon Beach Book Company, Ore.