Frank and Ellie Benton have lost their only son to a sudden illness. Reeling from grief they accept an opportunity to relocate to Girbaug, India where Frank will run his company’s factory. Their hope is that distancing themselves from the memories that surround them in Michigan will help them heal and forge a new life. But Frank becomes attached to the son of the caretakers of their company-provided cottage.

This is the third book by Umrigar that I have read, and the third time I’ve rated her work 5-stars. It is an intense and heartbreakingly real story. The grief and recriminations are so palpable they almost make my stomach hurt. Frank is clearly the more fragile of the two. He cannot let go of the anger and grief he feels and seems unaware of how obsessed he is becoming over the boy Ramesh. Ellie’s training as a psychologist is little help to them. She is too close to the issue and has her own grief, regret, and anger to process.

The cultural differences, far from distracting them from their grief, only compound their distress. They do not understand the culture and Frank, in particular, seems incapable of seeing anything in a different light. Ramesh is certainly a bright and inquisitive child, but his parents cannot possibly provide him with the advantages that Frank dangles before him. This added tension between Prakash and Frank over the affections of Ramesh spills into each of their marriages. Edna, Ramesh’s mother, is eager for the opportunities Frank provides, and gets angrier and angrier with Prakash over his “jealousy.” Ellie is more and more concerned about Frank’s obsession with the boy but voicing her concerns only strengthens Frank’s resolve and makes him more secretive about his plans.

The tragedy of this couple’s story is inevitable though none the less shocking. ( )

I love Thrity Umrigar's writing, I get lost in individual sentences and marvel at what they convey. A story of loss and the extreme impact that can have on our lives. Umrigar draws you into the scene and the emotions of the individuals - the readiness to leave everything known to escape that tragedy that remains, the determination to find something to replace the loss, and the evolution of horrible decisions that you want to pull the characters back from making. The ending was awful, but it won't deter me from reading more of her books. ( )

interesting culturally about an American family going to India to run a company with good intentions that go bad. Very bad.
some good writing, but the story line felt pushed to make a point ( )

I love the way Thrity Umrigar writes. She has powerful descriptions of feelings. In "The Weight of Heaven" we meat Frank and Ellie who have to cope with the lost of their 7 yr old son Benny. We go forward and back with this story and the very real and raw emotions they both experience. They move to India where Frank will manage a factory there and they try to get on with life. Frank immediatly falls for a young local boy, Ramesh, and it's clear to us all but frank that he is trying to replace his dead son.While in India we get to learn a lot abut the culture there and see how both Frank and Ellie deal with cultural and moral issues.
The toughest part of this novel is believing the change in Frank that turns him into a obsessed and unhinged person. Umrigar pulls if off though as she is a gifted storyteller. ( )

Umrigar's writing is simply incredible. When she writes about the anguish Frank feels when he finds out his son is in a coma, you can hear the sound coming out of his mouth. When she writes about India, you can see it, you can smell it, you feel such pain for the way these people live. There was not a character I didn't care about, one way or another. And just when you thought you knew how you felt about someone, something would happen to change your mind and make you realize that all of these characters are multidimensional. Heartbreaking and beautiful. ( )