2.14.2011

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri


I finished this book last week on my flight to California. Then I left it with a friend to read. I'm usually pretty good about writing reviews within 24 hours of finishing the novel, but since I was on my way to a 5-day bender weekend in the South Bay, this wasn't the case. I also don't have the novel in front of me and I am working on lack of sleep from my red-eye back home last night so be warned, this review will be lacking.

So, here is what I can tell you: I loved this book. Adored it. It is all at once captivating, heartwarming and depressing. The Namesake examines the immigration experience of a Bengali family with a focus on the second generation. It speaks to the psychological disjucture and cultural displacement that is associated with belonging to two very different cultures.
For being a foreigner, Ashima is beginning to realize, is a sort of lifelong pregnancy—a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts. It is an ongoing reponsibility, a parenthesis in what had once been ordinary life, only to discover that that previous life has vanished, replaced by something more complicated and demanding. Like pregnancy, being a foreigner, Ashima believes, is something that elicits the same curiosity from strangers, the same combination of pity and respect.
From the very start of The Namesake Lahiri's prose sucked me in. It is unusually dispassionate - but the tone doesn't work to disassociate the reader. Rather, I felt even more captivated - at times forgetting I was even reading.

Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for her short story collection The Interpreter of Maladies, which is a book I am going to track down asap. I really can't recommend The Namesake enough. It's a fascinating story that opened my eyes to the struggles of immigration and they cultural conflicts it imposes.

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 2003

17 comments:

  1. I'm glad you liked this book! However Lahiri writes better short stories, I think, than she writes novels. Definitely check out Interpreter of Maladies.

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  2. I am noting this down for Josie. She loves that kind of stories. "The God Of Small Things" is one of her two favorite novels. This seems right in the same league.

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  3. I want to check this one out. I read an excerpt from it back in college at some point and while I remember enjoying it, I can't remember the details about it at all. (This seems to be a theme for my college reading). I have read her short story collection in Unaccustomed Earth, which was very good.

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  4. Loved this book too - Gogol's such a great character. Never thought a novel about personal identity (ie what's in a name) would be so appealing, but this was un-put-downable.

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  5. eatthebooks, I've heard her short stories are amazing. I am going to track down a collection.

    Ben, Good call. If she is into reading about the immigrant experience this one is a must. I'm also going to look into The God of Small Things. Thanks!

    Red, I think you would really like it.

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  6. Greg, It really was unputdownable. I'm glad you enjoyed it as well. After I left it for my friend to read I was worried it might be somewhat "girlie" for his taste, but now I'm not so worried.

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  7. YES! Lahiri, Mistry, and Roy are among my favorite writers of all time. Just such richness in their characters, their voices, their details. A friend was just at AWP and "bailed" on the Lahiri reading. I told her we could no longer be friends. Of course, I forgave, but with serious misgivings.

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  8. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. This is, by far, one of my favorite titles. I gave my copy at my book club Christmas exchange because I wanted to share. The novel evoked so many emotions. The way in which Gogol's mother begins to assimilate into the culture that she's surrounded by, and the perspective of just how painfully isolating that experience can be. However, in my opinion, the movie was absolutely terrible. Great review, Brenna. Hope you had fun in Cali- I AM SO JEALOUS! :)

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  9. Sara, I need to learn more about Mistry and Roy! I've never heard of them but if they are on par with Lahiri I must find them.

    Beth, I love that we both "shared" this book and gave it to other people. I wasn't even sad to see it go because I wanted to pass the story along more than anything else. Also, my long weekend in California was really fun! Thanks :)

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  10. I loved this one too, and I thought they did a good job with the movie adaptation -- Irrfan Khan plays the father and he is just wonderful. I also loved The Interpreter of Maladies. I've heard it's very rare that a book of short stories wins the Pulitzer but this one really deserved it.

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  11. Isn't Lahiri fantastic! If you loved this one, I would definitely recommend check out both of her short story collections. They're just beautiful.

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  12. Karen, I'm going to track down the The Interpreter of Maladies as well.

    Avid Reader, Yay! Thanks :)

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  13. I have not read this book....yet, but I hope to get to it really soon. I've heard such amazing things about The Namesake! On a different note - I was in CA last week too! I went to San Diego for a week of rejuvenation and sunshine! Hope your trip was superb!

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  14. Stacy, It's a really good one you should read it. Also - funny we were both in Cali! I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as I did :)

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  15. An easy to read excellent moving and realistic account of the immigrant experience of a Bengali family. I really enjoyed this book and learnt about a culture I am not familiar with at the same time.

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  16. Such a great read! Lahiri is an awesome writer - you will love Interpreter of Maladies (its better than The Namesake). Glad you enjoyed this one! Can't wait to find out what you think of other work.

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  17. I just read Interpreter of Maladies and it made me want to read The Namesake! I'm happy to hear you loved the novel. I hope you enjoy the short stories just as much!

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