Christine The Uncorked Librarian's Reviews > The Museum of Failures

NetGalley Advanced Copy | Thrity Umrigar is one of my all-time favorite authors. I absolutely loved The World We Found and Honor - plus The Story Hour.

Unfortunately, I just could not get into The Museum of Failures, and it felt a bit like "trauma porn," which is so very 2023 publishing right now - as well as rubbed me the wrong way on the presentation/discussion of multiple topics.

The first quarter of the book drew me in, and there's no denying Umrigar's beautiful prose and ability to capture the hardest parts of the human spirit. Her writing is always stunning.

Plus, I was personally here for a story about a son who never heads home to India, only to be met with an aging parent facing health issues. The guilt is palpable, and Remy quickly learns that his dad wasn't quite the hero he believed.

Unfortunately, the story felt repetitive and lost its speed. There's a lot of judging and preachy parts. Then, I got straight out bored. There is so much slow filler to slog through, it really ruined the beauty of the story.

When I got to the big "reveals" - it just felt like shock for the sake of shock, and tying in everyone's stories felt overly contrived.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for a free advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.