The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar

The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar

368 pages

Published September 2023 by Little, Brown and Company

Publisher's Summary: 

When Remy Wadia left India for the United States, he carried his resentment of his cold and inscrutable mother with him and has kept his distance from her. Years later, he returns to Bombay, planning to adopt a baby from a young pregnant girl—and to see his elderly mother again before it is too late. She is in the hospital, has stopped talking, and seems to have given up on life.

Struck with guilt for not realizing just how ill she had become, Remy devotes himself to helping her recover and return home. But one day in her apartment he comes upon an old photograph that demands explanation. As shocking family secrets surface, Remy finds himself reevaluating his entire childhood and his relationship to his parents, just as he is on the cusp of becoming a parent himself. Can Remy learn to forgive others for their human frailties, or is he too wedded to his sorrow and anger over his parents’ long-ago decisions?

Surprising, devastating, and ultimately a story of redemption and healing still possible between a mother and son, The Museum of Failures is a tour de force from one of our most elegant storytellers about the mixed bag of love and regret. It is also, above all, a much-needed reminder that forgiveness comes from empathy for others.

My Thoughts: 

This is the sixth of Umrigar's books that I've read; any new book she writes will automatically be added to the TBR list. Why? Because I can reliably count on her to write books that explore relationships - between parents and children, between spouses, between friends. Because she writes complex characters with empathy. Because she tackles complex social issues, particularly class and gender. And because she always teaches me more about the country of India and Indian culture. 

The Museum of Failures gave me all of those things. 

One reason Remy has spent so little time in India since going to the U.S. was the idea (initially introduced to him by his beloved father who urged him to get out of India) that, as a country, it is a museum of failures; failures that are all too obvious to Remy when he visits. The other reason is his relationship with his mother, who has always been cold and distant, even cruel at times. 

When he arrives in India to look into adoption (his American wife believes they should adopt a baby from India so that it looks more like one of them), he discovers that his mother has been admitted to the hospital and is very ill. The cousin he pays to look out for her doesn't appear to have been taking care of either his mother or her apartment. His frustration mounts when the young girl who was going to let Remy and his wife adopt her baby backs out and with the care his mother is receiving in the hospital. 

In dealing with all of these situations, and surrounded by old friends,Remy learns a lot about himself, his family, and his country. But there is a cost to be paid for what he learns when a long buried secret is revealed; now he must learn to forgive and understand. 

There's a lot going on in this book and a lot of introspection on Remy's part. Sometimes he felt like too much, too many complications in one place. And I have to admit that I wasn't wild about the ending, which just seemed a bit too tidy for me. But Umrigar's books are always satisfying reads. I love reading about this culture with all of its many facets. Here, Umrigar, as ever, makes readers see that you have to truly know someone and what they've been through in life to understand them.