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Jhumpa Lahiri certainly deserved her Pulitzer. I recently read the assortment of short stories in her literary debut book, Interpreter of Maladies and can safely say that she has a firm grasp on the language and story-telling abilities.
Although she was born in London and brought up in rhode Island, US, the Indian identity is not completely lost. She successfully weaves stories around familiar sights of our daily life of an Indian, like the morning milkman, regular power outrages, and entertaining guests; the things that we have grown up with but have never stopped to notice. Her stories tend to go into painstaking detail but that only enables us to successfully visualize the torment of her characters in idyllic environs. She has an uncanny tendency to end her stories, leaving you yearning for more. Not entirely “happy endings”, we have to seek solace in typical life-like scenarios that Bollywood has kept us away from. Poignant is the word that comes readily to mind if I have to describe her stories in one word.
Several stories can be continued from the point they are left off with umpteen possible directions that it can take but then that would result in overkill of the narration. You get over the sense of incompleteness when you are immersed in the next story. However, that doesn’t mean that she leaves the characters half-baked; by the time you are halfway through the story, you begin to identify the characters with people that you have met in real life or even with yourself. Characters are complex and rarely black-n-white; you definitely cannot judge them because you wish to know more. The tales of the people, even the most common folk like for example, Boori Ma in “The Real Durwan” seem intricate and makes you wonder that there definitely must be six billion plus interesting stories in this world – each with a individualistic touch that seems strangely common.
Give it a try, if you like simple tales. I definitely am going to read her next offering, The Namesake.
by Patrix | on Tuesday, August 31st, 2004 at 11:05 pm | 
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September 1st, 2004 at 12:07 am reply
yeah read this book.. and i remember thinking that at least all stories dont have the same flavour which is what generally tends to happen in a collection.. havent read ‘The Namesake’ though..
September 1st, 2004 at 1:01 am reply
Interpreter is a lovely book and the only story that dint quite fit in according to me was the title story. Namesake is a great book but the issue it deals with is done to death. So, its not the same experience as the Interpreter. Worth a read definitely.
September 1st, 2004 at 2:56 am reply
Hey loved the Interpreter…and esp the last story Third and Final Continent. Was a bit disappointed in Namesake and felt like beating that Gogol up halfway thru the book. But worth a read. Wonder why Mira Nair has to film it?
September 1st, 2004 at 3:13 am reply
There was an old blog entry by a young alpha on this book:-)
I had read this book some time back and liked her style. She definitely has an eye for details.
September 1st, 2004 at 5:02 am reply
I read that book eons ago…don’t actually remember all the stories, but at that time I was really impressed… that much I remember :)
September 1st, 2004 at 5:19 am reply
I liked ‘Interpreter’ but not the Namesake.
September 1st, 2004 at 6:52 am reply
you are so outdated. i wasnt impressed with the short stories. i liked namesake.
September 1st, 2004 at 7:19 am reply
aar? young alpha?*cracks up*
September 1st, 2004 at 9:53 am reply
Twilight - The stories are similarly different :) at least I liked that bout the book.
Elysia - You missed the E. Anyways, the title story is played mostly in the mind of the lead character and hence maybe a bit out of place but still had that distinct ABCD touch.
Rash - Never knew Mira Nair was filming it. Better read the book before the movie is out :)
Aar - Did you read Alpha teenage (in the ice age) diary?? She wrote book reviews in them??
Seema - Eons ago, eh? You might want to read it again if you don’t remember much of it.
Wings - hmmm..but i still might give Namesake a try.
Alpha - Then I guess I shouldn’t be posting my review of the Illiad, eh? That would define the limits of “outdate-ness”…Bet you read it when Homer was writing it :) Does *old* Alpha remember what *young* Alpha read?
September 1st, 2004 at 10:47 am reply
Illiad??? Puhlease..that would go right there with your Olympic posts. *ofcourse I wasn’t saying that the posts were boring or any such thing… I was aluding to the Greek connection*
Oh yeah, Homer made me write it infact..just like apna Ganesh wrote Mahabharat when Ved Vyas was telling me bed time stories.
September 1st, 2004 at 12:02 pm reply
Alpha - next you will be saying that Athena was modeled after your character…Cleopetra maybe :)
September 1st, 2004 at 2:45 pm reply
..and u dont believe it?
September 1st, 2004 at 4:20 pm reply
Alpha - Athena or Cleopetra?
September 1st, 2004 at 4:29 pm reply
Comon Patrix! You have seen me, I couldn’t possibly be Cleopats!
September 1st, 2004 at 5:44 pm reply
Alpha - hmmmm..no? pray, why not?
September 1st, 2004 at 9:49 pm reply
Nice review man! Guess that really is your kind of book. I think I’ll pick it up too sometime soon.
September 1st, 2004 at 11:03 pm reply
Kiran - Thanks! and “my kind of book”?? I hope thatz a compliment :) brood on, dude.
September 2nd, 2004 at 8:53 am reply
coz my nose is perfect
September 2nd, 2004 at 11:03 am reply
if you like her reading, you will probably a fan of V.S naipaul too..
namesake, if read after couple of jhumpa lahiri’s or v.s naipaul, become too much of a cliche….
September 2nd, 2004 at 11:08 am reply
Alpha - So is that where the similarity begins or ends?
Highness - Thanks for the tip. I will.
September 8th, 2004 at 5:16 am reply
Also, I liked the last story very much… “Third and final continent”. Her book, “The namesake”, I felt was quite a let-down, though :-((
September 9th, 2004 at 12:02 pm reply
Nittygritty - I am gonna start Namesake soon..lets hope our opinions differ.
February 19th, 2005 at 5:23 am reply
Just finished reading the book ‘interpreter of maladies’. Impressed me quite a lot. She has explained the unspoken tensions and desires of human relationships in a beautiful manner.Few stories like ‘when Mr.Pirzada came to dine’, i could relate to myself, how i used to feel about the frequent visitors in my home as a very young girl. Now anyways i’ve become an avid fan of Jhumpa Lahiri