The Namesake is the story of Gogol Ganguli a child of Bengali immigrants to America who hates his first name and doesn’t know what it means. Neither does anyone else. It is later explained that his father named him after a nineteenth century Russian poet. The entire book is based on Gogol’s various failed attempts to change his name.
Like her character Gogol, Jhumpa herself is a child of Indian immigrants to America. She was born to Bengali parents in London from where her parents went to Rhode Island even before she was old enough to sit up.
Her characters are semi-real, based on people she knew and the people she met while visiting India but the situations are invented giving her stories a universal appeal.
The Interpretor of Maladies was based on her own experiences. Being an immigrant he
rself, she realised the importance of family bonds which tied people to their homelands. Even her new book The Namesake is somewhat based on her own experiences. In a world where she looked different and was labeled an outsider, Lahiri felt as if she did not belong. India with its vibrant colours and versatility gave life to her starving existence and as a child, she loved visiting the country that stimulated her very being.
The last holds true for her latest novel because each situation is elaborated cogently with rhythmic sentences, drugging the readers with a style that makes them eager for more. The story lulls readers with its smoothness, and the Western audience is taken in by the Indian setting.
Lahiri chronicles her characters' lives with both objectivity and compassion, being a writer of uncommon elegance and poise. Her new book though thin in appearance hides a highly polished package.
A dazzling storyteller, Lahiri has an eye for a nuance and an ear for irony. Which explains the ease with which she has taken her seat among the best story writers of the world.
Reviewed by Riswan Lintang-RL
Like her character Gogol, Jhumpa herself is a child of Indian immigrants to America. She was born to Bengali parents in London from where her parents went to Rhode Island even before she was old enough to sit up.
Her characters are semi-real, based on people she knew and the people she met while visiting India but the situations are invented giving her stories a universal appeal.
The Interpretor of Maladies was based on her own experiences. Being an immigrant he
rself, she realised the importance of family bonds which tied people to their homelands. Even her new book The Namesake is somewhat based on her own experiences. In a world where she looked different and was labeled an outsider, Lahiri felt as if she did not belong. India with its vibrant colours and versatility gave life to her starving existence and as a child, she loved visiting the country that stimulated her very being.The last holds true for her latest novel because each situation is elaborated cogently with rhythmic sentences, drugging the readers with a style that makes them eager for more. The story lulls readers with its smoothness, and the Western audience is taken in by the Indian setting.
Lahiri chronicles her characters' lives with both objectivity and compassion, being a writer of uncommon elegance and poise. Her new book though thin in appearance hides a highly polished package.
A dazzling storyteller, Lahiri has an eye for a nuance and an ear for irony. Which explains the ease with which she has taken her seat among the best story writers of the world.
Reviewed by Riswan Lintang-RL
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