If Today Be Sweet: A Novel

By Thrity Umrigar

“Ultimately, [If Today Be Sweet] reflects on what makes an individual part of a community, and movingly depicts the heartaches, responsibilities, and rewards of family life—among one’s own blood relatives as well as one’s ‘family of choice.’ . . . [A] meditation on the complex process of building a new life.” — Charlotte Observer

The recent death of her beloved husband, Rustom, has taken its toll on Tehmina Sethna. Now, while visiting her son, Sorab, in his suburban Ohio home, she is being asked to choose between continuing her old life in India and starting a new one in this unfamiliar country with her son, his American wife, and their child. Her destiny is uncertain, and soon the plight of two troubled young children next door will force the most difficult decision she has ever faced. Ultimately the journey is one that Tehmina must travel alone.

Eloquently written, evocative, and unforgettable, If Today Be Sweet is a poignant look at issues of immigration, identity, family life, and hope.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 17, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061762642

Thrity Umrigar

Thrity Umrigar is the author of seven novels Everybody’s Son, The Story Hour, The World We Found, The Weight of Heaven, The Space Between Us, If Today Be Sweet, and Bombay Time; a memoir, First Darling of the Morning; and a children’s picture book, When I Carried You in My Belly. A former journalist, she was awarded a Nieman Fellowship to Harvard and was a finalist for the PEN Beyond Margins Award. A professor of English at Case Western Reserve University, she lives in Cleveland, Ohio.  

Reviews for If Today Be Sweet

[shazjhb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not as complex as some of her other books but an enjoyable story

[carolee888 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is so good that I have put off writing the review for a day. I cannot do justice to the book! I got so immersed into the character of Tehmina Sethna who had only lost her much loved husband one year ago. I recognized myself in her to the nth degree.Tehmina was visting her only son's family after a long plane trip starting from Bombay, India and ending in a suburb in Cleveland, Ohio. Her family are Parsi, originally immigrants from Iran to India, and a small minority in India. The Parsi in India are know for their wonderful food and Zoroastriansm which I see shining through this book. They believe in good deeds, good thoughts and good beliefs.There are two boys living over the fence to her son's house. The mother is mean to her children, verbally and physically abusing them. Tehmina really wants to help the little boys, will she get her son's family in trouble if she does, in Bombay, she would not hesitate but she is in Ohio and not sure if she should follow her heart or refrain and protect her son' family from trouble.When things esculate to danger for the boys, she makes her choice. Her son wants her to stay in Ohio instead of returning to India. There are many things to consider. Follow the story to the end and find out the conclusion.If you have every wondered if you need to do something good that might cost in several ways. Please read this book. Often the print size of her books are too small for me, so am ordering more of her books on audio. I really wish that I could have the honor of sitting down and discussing life with the author. That may not happen but I am going read everything written by her.

[smits_52 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked Tehmina Sethna and that is the strength of this novel. She is so real. Tehmina is a recent widow staying in Ohio with her only son Sorab as she struggles with a major life choice, Does she stay in Ohio with her son, daughter in law , Susan and grandson Cookie? Or does she return to Bombay India to her homeland, culture, friends and memories of a happy marriage? Much happens to Tehmina as she struggles with this decision. Her beloved husband Rustom appears to her encouraging her. She comes to the rescue of 2 abused boys next door. In fact she comes to help just abouteveryone she comes in contact with. And all along she is thinking of the differences in the Indian culture and the American culture and the good points of each and the not so good points of each.A very good book.

[maryreinert · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book had so much potential, but, in my opinion, failed to deliver. I loved the premise of the book: Parsi widow in the middle of middle America faced with so many cultural differences. The parts of the book where Tehmina contrasts her life in India with the way of life in America are interesting and thoughtful. However, those places are surrounded by cliche and what I would call "formula" writing.So much of the book simply did not ring true. Would anyone really call their son Cookie? And how old is this child; at one time he calls himself the Cookie Monster and at others is discussing Calvin and Hobbes. The "yummy yummy" vocabulary of the boys next door also does not ring true for kids growing up with abusive adults. And the reaction of everyone to the beating that they receive from their mother seems totally blown out of portion -- television interviews, newspaper pictures, dinner at the home of the son's boss -- just too over the top. And Sorab's new boss, Grace, is nothing more than a cartoon character.In short, Tehmina seems like a Parsi Mary Poppins -- sprinkling everyone's life with a bit of sugar so that everyone will live happily ever after. I can't help but feel that life in two different worlds (as Tehmina is experiencing) is so much more complicated than that. It's a quick read, but not a satisfying one. "The Space Between Us" was a far superior book

[akeela_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tehmina Sethna’s beloved husband, Rustom, has died leaving her to fend for herself. She finds herself in Ohio with her son, Sorab, and his family. Much as she loves them, she is torn by her loss and by the cultural divide between her home in Bombay and what she perceives to be an utterly materialistic and superficial outlook in the States. This is a tender story of family, love, pain, and widowhood. Of Tammy coming to terms with her loss and having to carve out a new life for herself, in a new country. Ultimately, she must also decide whether she will stay in Ohio or go back to Bombay.Umrigar displays keen insight into the human psyche. The title is what she imagines Rustom would say to her if he were alive and is based on a poem by Omar Khayyam, the premise being, If Today Be Sweet then why concern yourself with tomorrow? Enjoy What Is.A fairly good read, though I did skip paragraphs here and there (not usually a good sign) as it was a teeny bit repetitive. I enjoyed The Space Between Us by Umrigar, before.

[alisonb60 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I would not have known about this book if it had not been recommended by my book club. I am SO grateful to have been introduced to it and thoroughly enjoyed it. What a lesson in humanity it is. One of my favourite quotes is when she is asked what she likes best about Ohio and she says - Sometimes being able to make rainbows when she waters the plants in the garden. In India this does not happen, they just have to wait for the occasional time when it happens spontaneously. This book is well written in my opinion and I will be recommending it to anyone who will listen.

[tigsw · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was lovely and the insights into human nature real and touching. The central character was very well developed, her immediate family with who she lives rather less so, and on occasions -- particularly towards the end of the novel -- her son's "transformation" in behavior towards her not entirely convincing. Still, it is a lovely and touching story and very well written. It does not, though, match the touching quality and beauty of the author's more recent book "The Space Between Us".

[thinkpinkdana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I walked by this book for a month before I picked it up. I have tried books written by and about India before (Inheritance of Loss and The God of Small Things) and not been able to connect with them or understand the underlying emotions and motivations well. Perhaps that is my own shortcoming, in expecting a book to bridge cultural differences and be something that I could relate with my own experience. I don't know, but I won't say it hasn't bothered me at times as some form of literary feebleness related somehow to my intrinsic American attitude. However, knowing that the third time's the charm and being unable to resist knowing more about the sliver of the beautiful woman hiding behind the door, I brought this book home. What an absolute delight I had in store for me. Thrity Umrigar has woven universal elements: loss, grief, acceptance, belonging, family, uncertainty, isolation and community, and brought them to the place where cultures retain their identity and are bridged by their commonalities. I was enchanted at the slices of life in Bombay that were revealed throughout the story. I was educated in the cultures of Indian and Parsi peoples. I invested in Tehmina and Sorab and Rustom beyond their ethnicity as individual characters with whom I shared a common tie. I sympathized with the cultural clashes and was encouraged by their solutions. This was a great book, realistically depicting the difficulties in melding individuals within a family and within a culture and compassionately revealing the wonderful humanity of us all. Highly Recommend.

[lizhawk_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Recently widowed Tehmina moves to Cleveland to live with her son and his family. She's trying to discover where the rest of her life fits best. Her son adamantly wants her to stay. Her life in India tugs at her. Her dead husband's ghost visits her. Issues of racism (her Jewish best friend) and child (next-door neighbor) abuse invade her life

[meggo_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A touching story of an Indian woman struggling with the decision of whether to stay in Ohio, with her son and grandson, or to move back to Bombay, after her husband's death. A surprisingly pleasant read - human and touching. This book was an intimate look at two cultures, struggling to find overlap. I enjoyed this book - just the thing for a summer's read.