The Namesake

Rating:
Summary: Not stellar but interesting that it's a best seller
Review: This book was easy to read - and for me that is its secret. Lahiri's clear prose demystifies what for most Americans is still a largely 'strange' culture. Yet the rituals, and foods, described are enough of a departure from the norm to be of compelling interest to many readers. Also - the lack of previous narratives about a very specific Indian immigrant experience -- that of well educated, Brahmin, well-off but not wealthy (ie - securely middle class) immigrants, mostly in the tech industry or the professions -- has made this book popular among first generation Indians who feel the story "resonates" with their own. Recently a friend who describes himself as "unliterary" said he enjoyed the book because he'd never read a book before that captured his own experience so closely.
The thing that's rather sad is that books in this genre which have taken on darker, more interesting and potent themes have simply not sold as well as Lahiri's work. While writing style must in part account for this, I think it's also the sanitized version of "immigrant conflict" she consistently delivers that makes her work stand out. Her dissociation from other Indian writers is somewhat sad as well: she is forced to do this to maintain a sense of "literary quality" key to her insider status -- yet clearly her writing is not de novo, and a large part of her audience is made up of Indian and other South Asian readers whose taste for this genre has benefited her sales.

It's not bad; it's not good. It's a huge step up from a lot of mass market paperbacks -- but it's nowhere near the quality of Edwidge Danticat, Junot Diaz, Zadie Smith, Susan Choi, Sandra Cisneros, Monique Truong, Rikki Ducarnet, Jessica Hagedorn. Yet all these writers have been much more 'ghettoized', in terms of being identified as "ethnic writers" in a way Lahiri hasn't -- because they write about things that might make the average American reader react to with shame, anger, sadness, guilt. I found myself asking: What is the point? What is the point of endlessly detailing the minutiae of a certain kind of difference only in terms of its interiority, and never with an eye to external conflict, savagery, politics or morals? Some of her short stories do take on the larger world in a way that liked a bit better - but only glancingly, and with a kind of acceptance of the random cruelty of strangers that I found deeply cynical, and without the vibrant kind of questioning and perusal that you find in a writer like Anita Desai, for example, who also writes very plainly and crisply, but whose characters have a depth that Lahiri's lacks. But Desai is less likely to sell the way Lahiri has, because her books are not quite as easy to read; because they make you feel, think, and directly confront an 'alien' culture on its own terms.

Rating:
Summary: "Out of Gogol's overcoat"
Review: With her 1999 collection of short stories, INTERPRETER OF MALADIES, Pulitzer-Prize winning writer, Jhumpa Lahiri, proved her talent for storytelling and keen eye for detail. She demonstrates those same abilities again in her poignant first novel, THE NAMESAKE. Lahiri's book follows the thirty-two year journey of its protagonost, Gogol Ganguli, from his birth to Bengali-American parents in 1968, to a transitional moment in his life in 2000, and ultimately to his self-acceptance. Along the way, and always at odds with Indian-American culture, Lahiri's character changes the given name he hates from Gogol to Nikhil, suffers the death of his academic father, studies architecture at Yale and Columbia, marries Moushumi, an American-Bengali woman, and then encounters divorce. The point of Lahiri's compelling novel is not so much about the significance of one's name--"There's no such thing as a perfect name," Gogol recognizes at one point in his life (p. 145)--as it is about attempting to accept, interpret, and comprehend the events in our lives that shape us into who we are (p. 187). Although short in length, Lahiri serves up much food for thought in THE NAMESAKE.

G. Merritt

Rating:
Summary: rather good
Review: "The Namesake" is the debut novel by Jhumpa Lahiri. She has previously written the Pulitzer Prize winning short story collection "The Interpreter of Maladies". This is the story of immigrants from India and is also the story of their son, Gogol Ganguli.

Ashoke and Ashima are married in India in a marriage arranged by their parents (as is the custom). Just after the wedding they travel to America where Ashoke is first a student at MIT, then later a professor. While Ashoke is able to feel a connection to this new country (he starkly remembers an older friend saying that his one mistake was leaving American to return to India), Ashima feels her immigrant status keenly. She holds to the ways of the Bengali and when their son is born they want to name him in the old manner: the grandmother will send a letter with his Good Name. A Good Name is that which is the official name on record and is used publicly and professionally. The private name is that which is only used among family and friends. But this is America and the child may not be releases from a hospital without a name on the birth certificate. The parents decide to name their son Gogol, after the Russian author Nikolai Gogol who, in a roundabout way, was instrumental in saving the life of Ashoke when he was a young man. They never intended this to be his Good Name and they waited for the letter from the grandmother to come, but it never does and so right up until Gogol is ready to go to kindergarten the only name he has is Gogol. When Gogol is to enroll in kindergarten his parents give him the Good Name of Nikhil and try to force both Gogol and the school to use it, but he refuses and so does the school. His name is Gogol.

I stressed this part of the novel because it raises a rather large theme within the novel: that of identity. It seems that everyone in "The Namesake" is dealing with their identity. Ashima is trying to hold onto the Bengali cultural identity while her two children, Gogol and Sonia, are trying to break free of that identity. Gogol and Sonia find partners that match, for a time, what they feel their identities should be.

"The Namesake" takes us on the journey of the Ganguli family over the course of more than two decades. After Gogol graduates high school he decides to legally change his name because of his deep dissatisfaction with his name. Strangely enough, Gogol decides on Nikhil, the name he would not accept as a child. The novel takes Gogol through his college years at Yale, his relationships with women, his marriage (and divorce) and his reconciliation with his mother. All this is truly a quest for identity (in particular, his marriage to a Bengali woman with a similar identity issue).

Simply put, this is a good book. It is infused with quality and good writing and Lahiri gives us a good sense of who these characters are. The fact that I didn't truly care what happened to Gogol did not lessen my enjoyment of the book at all. Throughout Lahiri's short stories and into this novel, I have enjoyed stepping into the world she has created and meeting her characters. To me, Jhumpa Lahiri feels like a more accomplished Zadie Smith ("White Teeth") and "The Namesake" is much stronger than Smith's second novel "The Autograph Man". I look forward to Jhumpa Lahiri's next novel (or short story collection).

Rating:
Summary: A Big Disappointment
Review: Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake" contains some wonderful prose, excellent description, and her characterizations are generally good. Sadly, there is little else to compliment.

For a writer who recently won the Pulitzer Prize, it is surprising that Lahiri fails on the most basic level of any story: there is no real conflict in "The Namesake." The only attempt at conflict is the main character's occasional problems with his first name, "Gogol." (Gogol's father decides to name his son after the Russian author, Nikolai Gogol.) This is hardly enough of a conflict to carry a 300 page novel. Besides his first name, Gogol's only experiences with adversity are the death of his father, which Lahiri fails to explore with any detail, and the break up of a relationship. (Poor Gogol finds himself a new girlfriend a chapter later.)

While Lahiri tends to know her characters well, she does very little with Gogol's only sister, Sonia. We barely know her. Gogol's father dies suddenly mid-way through the novel, but Lahiri doesn't use this life altering event to add any significance to the novel.

The reader will find very little story here. As a writer, Jhumpa Lahiri is simply capable of much more.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ: Here's Why.
Review: The Namesake follows the life of Gogol Ganguli, an American of Indian descent. The book goes chronologically from his parent's early life in India to Gogol in his mid- thirties. The narrative has no strictly plotted, artificial set-up; it is merely Gogol's life as he lives it as a person caught between cultures. The title refers to Gogol's name, which plagues him so much in his early life that he officially changes it to Nikhil during college. The Russian writer Gogol is Gogol Ganguli's father's favorite writer, and he gives Gogol this name as his "family" name. Traditionally, Indian people have "good names," for public use, and "family names" that are used among close family members. Due to some confusion in school, Gogol's "good name" isn't used and he is referred to as Gogol by everybody. This is one of the first and most significant ways that American culture thwarts the Ganguli's efforts to raise their son with some connection to his Indian heritage.

Gogol's name is a constant source of misery for him. Like him, it is neither American nor Indian; it is a perfect representation of the "otherness" that Gogol feels throughout his life. Gogol's desire to remake himself, to escape himself, is a constant theme in the book. Gogol's struggle between his Indian heritage and American lifestyles is another main focus of Lahiri's story. Gogol is confronted with several different life choices, usually in the form of girlfriend's from different cultural backgrounds, and how they clash with his family's view of how life should be lived and what has ultimate importance. Gogol is torn between wanting to shed and wanting to hold his Indian heritage, and Lahiri's best writing comes in these times when Gogol is confronted with ways of life that either attract or repel him. One of my favorite sections of the book is when Gogol is dating a woman named Maxine who comes from a very wealthy, very WASPy family. Lahiri's descriptions of the homes, clothing, food, and everyday activities of the family give us a fully-fleshed out view of their lifestyle, and help us to understand how their casually glamorous, but ultimately shallow lifestyle is so alluring.

The Namesake is not a book that makes any claims about the superiority of one country or culture over the other. Lahiri gives us both the good and bad of Indian and American life, and clearly shows why American openness of emotion and ability to choose one's own profession and mate can appeal to a person from the more reserved and traditional Indian culture.

The most engaging thing about this book is the great sympathy and understanding Lahiri has for all of her characters. One of the most complicated characters in the novel is Gogol's wife Moushumi, who by the end of the story has wrecked their marriage with an affair. Lahiri shows us her dissatisfaction with Indian life, and her regret about her marriage and the academic success she has given up for it. Lahiri does not seem to judge Moushumi's actions as either bad or good, but as yet another result of the conflicted feelings of Indian-American children.
I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in the idea of cultural "otherness." Lahiri's writing is probably not to everyone's taste, but she does have a fresh and sympathetic voice. Pick up a copy! Another interesting Amazon quick pick: The Losers Club by Richard Perez

Rating:
Summary: Subtle Yet Searing Portrayal of an Immigrant Family
Review: I first came across Jhumpa Lahiri when I heard one of the haunting stories from "Interpreter of Maladies" read on NPR's short story program. A friend of mine who is an high school English teacher alerted me when "The Namesake" was released and I read it eagerly. I absolutely couldn't put it down. The prose is exquisite and the story is compelling, to me, a naturalized citizen (from the Caribbean). There are at least three different, interwoven storylines: the adaptation and assimilation of the Bengali parents and their children to "America"; the first generation-second generation immigrant conflict between the Bengali parents and the Bengali-American kids; and a coming-of-age story of Gogol Ganguli. Each thread is related to the other two (obviously) and Lahiri does an amazing job of subtly emphasizing each particular thread at different points while not allowing any single thread to dominate the novel. All the characters (even the "minor" characters) are so vividly drawn (with the curious exception of Gogol's sister) that they stay with you long after you have finished reading "The Namesake."

Rating:
Summary: Richly Rewarding
Review: Let me start by saying that I purchased the audiobook of The Namesake which I "read" over a thirteen hour drive. I enjoyed it immensely. I found the story refreshingly void of conniving or over-arching plot twists, and I was engaged by Jhumpa Lahiri's storytelling -- at once simple, elegant, straight-forward and rich.

Rating:
Summary: Faultless Prose, But Lacks Momentum
Review: While Lahiri has received a great deal of praise, I can't help but feel that this novel suffers from a bit of gravity. A young man's struggle to embrace his ethnicity is symbolized by the eventual dismissal of his given name--Gogol--a name meaningfully chosen by his father (though the import is lost on Gogol). Throughout the course of his early life and into adulthood, Gogol is portrayed as an aloof, somewhat cold character. He lacks passion and his relationships suffer. I suppose we are to feel that Gogol's difficulties are a direct result of his self-loathing, which stems from a battle with his own heritage. Still, Lahiri's writing is seamless and direct. I also enjoyed "Interpreter of Maladies" and look forward to her next novel.

Rating:
Summary: A quiet unassuming look at real people
Review: I'm not sure why I picked this book up to read, but I'm so glad I did. The author provided a wonderful insightful look at new immigrants to this country and the tug between generations pulling it together with the conflict Gogol has with his name. I know very little about the East Indian culture, but I do know something about how sons and daughters can look at the world in an entirely different light than parents. The lack of understanding and the lack of communication between the parents and Gogal is not specific to East Indians; it is universal. In short, I loved this book because I grew to love the people in spite of their shortcomings

Rating:
Summary: A man without a country
Review: One of the themes of this book--a man without a place, trapped between two or more worlds--is one that never seems to get old, especially in today's changing world with its globalization, terrorism, changing demographics, and socio-economic problems. Hence, the recent success for Jhumpa Lahiri's novel, THE NAMESAKE. And while this theme is nothing new (McCrae used it in his Bark of the Dogwood as did numerous others) Lahiri's masterful writing brings this idea to an entirely new level. Colorful characters and settings, along with expert pacing make this a one-of-a-kind read. Highly recommended.