Umrigar’s debut novel focuses on the residents of a particular middle-class apartment building in Bombay.

The apartment dwellers who have long lived at Wadi Baug come together to celebrate the wedding of one young man. As they arrive at the reception, each, in turn, reflects on his/her life and how they came to live in this community of Parsi men and women. One man descends into alcoholism. A woman is an incorrigible gossip. One man thinks on his betrayal and heartbreak. A widow who has retreated into herself is finally seen with compassion. One local man has risen above and become very wealthy, but still lives in the same apartment because it feels like home. And a couple struggle to find the love and attraction that drew them together in the first place.

Umrigar’s writing is full of the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of this vibrant community. Several scenes are shockingly brutal – abject poverty, violence, pestilence. And then there are scenes of loving tenderness – a new baby, a man’s love for his wife, the devotion between a mother and daughter. ( )

Her first novel. A series of stories, portraits of a group of people attending a wedding. Their lives, their histories, their interconnectedness. ( )

No casamento de um jovem morador de um prédio de classe média em Bombaim, homens e mulheres dessa comunidade se reúnem e recordam sua juventude, refletindo sobre as mudanças que os anos trouxeram. As vidas desses parses que cresceram juntos no edifício Wadia são reveladas em toda a sua humanidade - a decadência de Adi Patel devida ao alcoolismo, a língua afiada da fofoqueira Dosamai, a traição e a dor-de-cotovelo de Soli Contractor. Testemunha de tudo isso, Rusi Bilimoria, um empresário desiludido, luta para encontrar o sentido da própria vida e manter unida uma comunidade prestes a se fragmentar.

Her first novel. A series of stories, portraits of a group of people attending a wedding. Their lives, their histories, their interconnectedness. ( )

Her first novel. A series of stories, portraits of a group of people attending a wedding. Their lives, their histories, their interconnectedness. ( )