Her elegant demeanor, literary references and Zoom backdrop - bookshelves, art objects - could be considered, objectively, elitist. Perhaps a writer? Umrigar is speaking from her home in Cleveland, Ohio, where she has lived since the age of 21 and works as a professor at Case Western Reserve University.

What provides the same sense of solace and neighborliness that a church does?” She anticipates the answer, then flicks it away: “You can talk about libraries and books and museums, but those are almost by definition, sadly, becoming elitist. “The follow-up question to why we have these megachurches, I think, should be what is the secular equivalent? What do we have that gives people the same sense of community and belonging, which I think is essential to the human spirit?” If this kind of secular awakening is unlikely, Umrigar thinks she might know why. Maybe a few fundamentalist Christians pick up ‘Honor’ and think, ‘Wow, why do I believe what my pastor says when he’s saying the kinds of things that sound nutty coming from one of my characters’ mouths?’” “A thing for Western readers to realize about India is, guess what? We have people doing crazy things, too. But Umrigar, whose eight previous novels have been set in both the United States and India, knows fundamentalism can spring from any faith. “Honor,” which was announced this week as a Reese’s Book Club pick, involves - among many other events - a deadly clash between two brothers who believe India should be a Hindu theocracy and their sister’s husband, a Muslim from a nearby village.

Her new novel, “ Honor,” turns on India’s two major faiths, Hinduism and Islam, and the violence that can erupt when an extremist faction holds sway. Thrity Umrigar wants to talk about megachurches, which seems both apropos and slightly incongruous. If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from, whose fees support independent bookstores.

Honor book by thrity umrigar