“[Umrigar] communicates her childhood longing for a cohesive family in deeply felt portraits of those she loves. . . . It is this combination of personal revelation and empathetic observation that makes Umrigar’s memoir so appealing.” — Washington Post Book World
“Umrigar . . . writes in an earnest, quiveringly passionate language. . . . Umrigar’s depiction of her tight-knit family is moving.” — New York Times Book Review
“[Umrigar] has never forgotten her native land, brilliantly rendered in three critically acclaimed novels and now in this latest bracingly honest and bittersweet memoir.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Umrigar paints a stunningly detailed portrait of her multifaceted Bombay milieu. . . . Vivid descriptions. . . . Animated, anguished prose. . . . The author evokes her volatile emotions in language that conveys the intensity of her pain. . . . [A] heartfelt memoir about the significance of origins and self-identity.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Engrossing . . . What makes [Umrigar’s] account compelling is the way her search for identity parallels that of India. . . . Her experiences form the fascinating backdrop of an account reflecting modern India’s childhood, as well.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Sweet and biting. . . . A mixture of rawness and warmth. . . . Umrigar’s memoir is colorful and moving.” — Publishers Weekly
“Persuasively re-creating voices and scenes, this memoir could almost be read as another novel. Umrigar builds a literary bridge between personal and historical truths. . . . Umrigar is narrating not just her personal heartache but also that of a global middle-class cohort. . . . The underlying chords in this story about growing up and going away will certainly resonate.” — Library Journal
“Novelist Thrity Umrigar has penned a page-turner of a memoir. . . . A riveting story of a shy and insecure childhood . . . A fascinating view of family dynamics in a traditional Parsi household . . . This is a good read for its keen observations and message of emotional survival.” — India Currents
“With painful honesty, Umrigar tells us about her family . . . [A] raw, honset approach . . . [An] intensity of feeling . . . The book takes us back to the bylanes of our own urban childhood.” — India Today
“Umrigar has undertaken to show us the cultural divide between Indian and American cultures . . . She makes an interesting point, one she’s mentioned in other works: We make up our own families wherever we are; we choose our circumstances; we are capable — Washington Post