The Gap Between Us

In the heart of modern Mumbai, two women live in the same home - and in two completely different worlds

Sira Dubash is a widow from a wealthy Parsi family, seemingly sheltered from the chaos of the city behind the walls of her tidy home. Bhima is her long-time maid - illiterate, hardened by loss and a life in the slums where all hope is won at the cost of deprivation. There is a closeness between them, forged by years of shared secrets, pain and silent sympathy. Yet there is an invisible line that can never be crossed.

When the fate of the two families intertwines in unexpected and destructive ways, this fragile bond is put to the test. Betrayal, class prejudice and the cruel rules of society threaten to tear apart everything that has held them together.

Powerful, emotional, and painfully honest, Tritti Umrigar's novel reveals how love and compassion can coexist alongside inequality - and how deep the gulf between people is even when their lives are inextricably linked.