The Museum of Failures: A Novel

by Thrity Umrigar

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The latest from the author of Honor is a page-turner about family secrets revealed and the realization that our loved ones are often all too human and as such, all too flawed. Written with gorgeous prose and threaded with universal themes, it’s perfect for readers of Lisa Ko or Chibundu Onuzo.

This immersive story about family secrets and the power of forgiveness from the bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club pick Honor is a Book Riot Best Book of 2023.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643753553
Publisher:	Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Publication date:	09/26/2023
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	12,068
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Thrity Umrigar is the bestselling author of nine previous novels, including Honor, which was a Reese's Book Club Pick, as well as three picture books and a memoir. Her books have been published in over fifteen countries and in several languages. A former journalist, she has contributed to the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, the New York Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and other newspapers.  She is a recipient of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard, and winner of the Cleveland Arts Prize, the Seth Rosenberg prize and a Lambda Literary award.  She is currently a Distinguished University Professor of English at Case Western Reserve University.

Editorial Reviews

08/28/2023

Umrigar (Honor) returns with another rich and emotionally gripping story about familial love and the destructive power of secrets. Remy Wadia has returned from the U.S. to his hometown of Bombay for the first time since his father’s death three years earlier. Having arrived to adopt a baby from a pregnant teenager, Remy is shocked to learn that the mother-to-be is having second thoughts about giving up the child. Making matters worse, his elderly mother’s health has suddenly declined. Remy, who has a turbulent relationship with her, is guilt-ridden for having left India to settle with his American wife in Ohio. Umrigar deftly explores the complexity of caring for an aging parent as Remy stretches himself thin trying to nurse his mother back to health. Meanwhile, he’s preoccupied by grief over his beloved father. After his mother begins to recover and comes back home from the hospital, Remy tries to forgive her for verbally abusing him as a child, until one morning when a photograph falls out of his mother’s prayer book, leading to a series of revelations about Remy’s parents that change his perceptions of both of them. The story of family secrets takes on emotional resonance as Remy contends with his own anxieties about becoming a parent. Umrigar continues to impress. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Family secrets are constellations made of falling stars. When scattered across the vast expanse of our lives, they lead us, guide us, but often in the wrong direction. With Thrity Umrigar’s signature blend of emotional depth and compassionate storytelling, The Museum of Failures is a poignant and profound exploration of what happens when someone’s entire life, their entire journey, has been spent off-course. I feel this book. You will too."—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

“There's no powder keg like a family secret. And when it explodes, nothing in the past is ever as it was, and nothing in the future is ever the same. The Museum of Failures is a symphony of secrets and lies, love and hate, regret and forgiveness, but more than that, the unraveling of everything one holds dear to find something more precious and elusive: oneself. Powerful and engrossing.”

 —Marlon James Booker Prize winning Author of Moon Witch, Spider King

Named a Best/Most Anticipated Book of Fall/2023 by PEOPLE Magazine, Amazon, Goodreads, Ms., We Are Bookish, SheReads, Christian Science Monitor, Literary Hub, BookBub, Book Bistro, & more.

"Wrenching and uplifting, lighthearted and profound, The Museum of Failures is a suspenseful, beautifully plotted tribute to the complicated yet steadfast love between parents and children."

 —Megha Majumdar, author of A Burning

"The Museum of Failures is a compassionate and insightful exploration of judgment, forgiveness, and understanding. A skilled chronicler of family secrets, Thrity Umrigar reveals the reverberation that decisions can have over generations and the impact of distance, both geographical and psychological, on the relationship of one mother and son."
 

 —Lisa Ko, author of National Book Award finalist The Leavers

“Remy grapples with his notions of home, devastating family secrets and impending fatherhood in this emotional novel from the bestselling author of Honor.”—PEOPLE Magazine

“This is a beautifully wrought novel about the complicated relationships between parents and children, the secrets we keep — and those we reveal.”—B&N

“An expert storyteller, Thirty Umrigar knows how to weave a tale of family secrets, relationships, tradition and acceptance. Layered and captivating.”—Ms.

“Thrity Umrigar’s evocative novel explores the personal, political, and cultural reckonings of an immigrant son discovering compassion and forgiveness.”—Christian Science Monitor

“Instructive as well as moving… As she captures the anguish of people torn between two worlds, Umrigar’s own writing takes on a cinematic brilliance.”—BookReporter

"A beautifully written, heart-warming, and welcoming glimpse into the Parsi community and the complications of family.”——Jessica Trotter, Capital Area District Libraries, Mich., Shelf Awareness

“Immersive, intimate, and deeply felt, Thrity Umrigar’s The Museum of Failures explores the power of forgiveness and the eternal possibility of new beginnings.”—PEN America / The PEN 10

"A powerful family drama.”—Akron Beacon Journal

“The story of the Wadia family is a sensitive exploration of love in its different forms—romantic, maternal, filial, platonic—and forgiveness. Umrigar’s fluid prose and well-wrought characters capture the milieu of the Parsi community past and present. Paired with the emotionally demanding story line, this is a compelling read.”—Booklist

“[Umrigar] creates interesting characters and complex relationships, builds thematic tension and narrative suspense, and delivers emotionally resonant moments at just the right pace… [A] rich, heartfelt novel. This is a touching story about what it really means to grow up and into an authentic life.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[A] rich and emotionally gripping story about familial love and the destructive power of secrets... Umrigar continues to impress.”—Publishers Weekly

"Deep and meaningful, The Museum of Failures challenges us to examine our own relationships with home and family, acknowledging our pain and creating a future that tells a new story."—Chapter16

“[A] powerful novel of family and secrets.”—Largehearted Boy

“Thrity Umrigar’s novels are immersive, and I felt transported to Bombay throughout the novel. Her vivid descriptions of the city and its inhabitants brought the setting to life… This novel emphasizes the importance of love, acceptance and sacrifice. A very heartfelt read!”—Los Angeles Book Review

From the Publisher

2023-06-21
An Indian man living in Ohio returns to Bombay for the first time since his beloved father’s death.

After struggling with infertility, Remy Wadia and his wife, Kathy, have a stroke of luck: a relative of one of Remy’s closest friends from childhood is pregnant and wants to give the baby up for adoption. Remy arrives in India to meet the young woman only to find she wants to keep her baby. That’s not the only disappointment waiting for him. His mother, with whom he has a thorny relationship, is in the hospital fighting for her life. These events rock Remy to his core, sending him into a tailspin of grief, bewilderment, nostalgia, displacement, and guilt. At risk of losing his mother, Remy discovers a family secret that upends everything he thought he knew about her and his father, transforming the notion of the man he thought he was and wants to be. Being both at home—meaning Bombay, the city where he was born and raised—and away from home—meaning Columbus, the smaller city where he’s made a life for himself as an adult—is challenging, but it offers him the opportunity to unpack the revelations from the past as well as think about what he wants for his future. Umrigar knows how to tell a story. A former journalist and the author of nine previous novels, she creates interesting characters and complex relationships, builds thematic tension and narrative suspense, and delivers emotionally resonant moments at just the right pace. The book isn’t perfect. The dialogue often feels pedantic, as do some of Remy’s internal soliloquies about the differences and parallels between the U.S. and India. But these shortcomings are a small price to pay for an otherwise rich, heartfelt novel.

This is a touching story about what it really means to grow up and into an authentic life.

Kirkus Reviews

Family secrets are constellations made of falling stars. When scattered across the vast expanse of our lives, they lead us, guide us, but often in the wrong direction. With Thrity Umrigar’s signature blend of emotional depth and compassionate storytelling, The Museum of Failures is a poignant and profound exploration of what happens when someone’s entire life, their entire journey, has been spent off-course. I feel this book. You will too.

New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daug Jamie Ford

The Museum of Failures is a symphony of secrets and lies, love and hate, regret and forgiveness, but more than that, the unraveling of everything one holds dear to find something more precious and elusive: oneself. Powerful and engrossing.”

Marlon James

A sensitive exploration of love in its different forms—romantic, maternal, filial, platonic—and forgiveness. Umrigar’s fluid prose and well-wrought characters capture the milieu of the Parsi community past and present…This is a compelling read.”

Booklist

Vikas Adam gives a wonderfully affecting performance of this audiobook about almost everything--parent/child relationships, family secrets, immigration, disability, adoption, elder care, marriage, and friendship. With his gift for illuminating moments of emotional complexity, Adam immerses listeners in the complex dynamics between 30-something Remy, who returns to India from the U.S. for the first time since his father's death, and the formidable, erratic mother he remembers but who may no longer exist because of severe illness. Adam expertly inhabits each family member, friend, or hospital staff person with precision, clarity, and a generous heart. He impressively creates female and children's voices that sound natural. His excellent Indian accents and pronunciation of Parsi Gujarati words add authenticity. Adam's narrative talent shines in his perceptive performance of this winning story. M.J. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2023 - AudioFile