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Summary: My life growing up in the US
Review: For better or worse, Jhumpa Lahiri has masterfully chronicled the lives and experiences of so many South Asians who have grown up in the US. I have not spoken to any South Asian friends who did not feel that they did not appear in this book at least a little bit. It's true that The Namesake is not always positive or happy or upbeat but this is the reality of our lives - a little bit sad, a little bit happy... and progressing ever so slowly.Quite simply - I have never read my life so beautifully expressed.
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Summary: Run, don't walk!
Review: This is one of the best books I have read in a long time! I read Interpreter of Maladies when it came out and was anxiously awaiting Ms. Lahiri's next efforts. This book was worth the wait! Having friends that are 1st generation Americans, I was able to get a glipse into what their parents' lives were like when they first arrived here from India. And I so enjoyed travelling with Gogol throughout his own life's journey.
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Summary: Postcard to a friend living in an ashram in SW India:
Review: Postcard to a friend living in an ashram in SW India:.....Dear H.,I have just finished a best-selling novel called "The Namesake" written by an Indian-American woman. She writes about a family from Calcutta, living in Cambridge when they first marry. He is an engineer at MIT and she is at home. The book covers two generations of this family - the birth of two children, a professorship for the father in a suburban university, the move to this Boston suburb, school and college in America for the children, etc. Though the young of the second generation are completely American, they are fluent in Bengali and have traveled many times with their parents to visit relatives in India. And, they are part of a widespread community of families from Calcutta who continue traditions, such as special food, wedding rituals, etc., etc. Still, if one were to take this second generation as described in the book, I very much doubt that they have ANY insights into India, apart from knowing relatives. Would they be 'westerners'in the ashram? This question intrigues me. It must be part of the story but it isn't, which leaves me with a feeling that I am missing something fundamental - that there is a gap that needs to be completed. ...ag
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Summary: We All Came Out Of Gogol's Overcoat
Review: In "The Namesake" Lahiri once again produces a work of fine art and beauty. But her purpose is to look at the particular cross-cultural problems, especially for children of Indian parents, in the United States. After all, these children are Americans, not Indians. The emotional struggle to deal with that dissonance is finely described by Lahiri, perhaps better than I have ever seen it done before. The internal feelings, self-rationalizations and justifications, and the result of what environment and origin have on people and how that transition can be made, sometimes successfully, but mostly, with some problems and regrets, are beautifully elucidated. Lahiri's style is fine tuned and explicit. She is insightful and incisive. Her vocabulary is vast, but is not used with academic arrogance in any way. She has a crystal clarity about her writing that leaves little to guess for the reader, but much to ponder. Her subplots mesh seamlessly into a well honed novel. In addition, it is important that the reader not miss Lahiri's reference to Nikolai Gogol's short story, "The Overcoat." It really is impossible for the reader to miss, it is one of the main premises of Lahiri's plot. The reader is well advised to read the story before reading the book, as the plots are interwoven in certain non-obvious manners. But near the end, Lahiri tackles one of the main issues of everyone's life, her protagonist and that of "The Overcoat." She seeks to interpret in some way, how so many of the events in our lives seem out of our control, even random. Toward the end, Lahiri has her protagonist, named Gogol, say this: "In so many ways, his family life feels like a string of accidents, unforeseen, unintended, one incident begetting another." But as in "The Overcoat" Lahiri tries to tell us, that in some way, the soul can and does live on, in the hearts of those who remember. And just as in "The Overcoat" the remnant of the protagonist's soul remains, so too, the remnant of Gogol's father's soul still remains, in Gogol's memory, forever.
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Summary: What's in a name?
Review: "The Namesake" chronicles the life of two generations of the Ganguli family. Ashoke Ganguli, born and raised in Calcutta, moves to America in the mid 1960s to complete his engineering studies at MIT. Upon return to Calcutta during a semester break, he meets and weds Ashima, the marriage arranged by his and her parents. The newly married couple returns to New England where Ashoke completes his engineering degree and Ashima settles into a life focused on caring for her husband and getting accustomed to life in a new country with traditions that are in stark contrast to hers. The Ganguli family in America is expanded with the birth of their first child, Gogol. It is with the introduction of this character that the reader learns of the Bengali tradition of pet names, a tradition in contrast to the American tendency to shorten names. Throughout the novel Gogol struggles, at first, with having to abandon his pet name (the only name he has ever known himself by), then with having to accept a name he no longer feels attached to. In this sense, naming serves as a metaphor for the trials experienced by Gogol as a first generation Indian-American trying to carve out an identity that is separate from that of his parents. I found "The Namesake" to be a very well written novel that provides good information on some aspects of Indian culture and the Indian immigrant experience in America. The characters are realistically drawn and their struggles parallel those of many ethnic groups that arrive in America (or have survived being here) and try to immerse themselves in what it is to be "American" at the expense of the cultural and ethnic experiences from which they came. The author captures this duality when she writes about the meaning of pet names - "Pet names are a persistent remnant of childhood, a reminder that life is not always so serious, so formal, so complicated. They are a reminder, too, that one is not all things to all people." In addition to solid writing, interesting and fully realized characters, the novel has provided an excellent opportunity for me to get better acquainted with Indian co-workers. As I asked them questions about the meaning of words and rituals mentioned in the novel, I found that we shared experiences that I once thought to be unique to my culture. It is always refreshing to be reminded that the human race is as much alike as we are different. This is a worthy read that will be of particular interest to those who have had to create a new life in a new place and that should pretty much cover everyone at some point in life (if you're lucky!) Enjoy.
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Summary: sharp sometimes poignant details don't add up
Review: Lahiri's debut novel exhibits many of the positive attributes of her justifiably esteemed short story collection Interpreter of Maladies--an exquistely honed sense of detail, an intimate sense of character, a quietly controlled emotional tone-- but the requirements of a novel aren't always the same as a good short story, and despite Lahiri's obvious strengths as a writer, The Namesake falls a bit flat.
The Namesake charts two generations of the Ganguli family, following Ashoke Ganguli through a nearly-fatal and life-changing train accident, his subsequent move to America and then his arranged marriage to Ashima, who never really feels comfortable in America. Their son, Gogol, is the title character and after his birth the focus of the book shifts to him, following him through his childhood, youth, and adulthood, tracing the various arcs of his career, love life, and relationship with his family and culture.
As in her short stories, Lahiri is a master of the telling detail, whether it be a description of a character's cooking or the interior of a house or the small dynamics of a party. In her short stories these lead quickly to characterization and often realization, but in this longer work they sometimes bog the story down or feel repetitive, despite the many gems that sparkle throughout.
While the shift in focus to Gogol allows for further exploration of family and immigration, Lahiri drops the parents a bit too wholly (especially the father) in the middle, though we come back nicely to Ashima later in the book. Other characters suffer as well in relation to Gogol, especially all of the female characters. His sister may as well not exist and the various loves of his life seem more like plot devices than fully realized chararacters, one of them skirting pretty closely in the description of her and her parents to stereotype.
The sense of dislocation felt by first and second generation immigrants is fully and sharply conveyed, though at times the reader is told this rather than shown it. The tugging emotions of family are more nuanced and moving in their depictions (though here is where the sister's weakness as a character is a major detriment).
The structure is straightforward chronological which is a problem in such a quiet book filled with such lengthy detail. Gogol is interesting but not particularly compelling; a less straightforward approach could have compensated for this somewhat. As it is, though, I found the book slow-moving, not in a langorous enjoyable kind of way but more in the impatient to skim some detail way. By the latter third I found myself tempted to simply put it down, though I did persevere. The end is admittedly moving, but I'm torn between saying it earned that emotion and saying that it cheats a bit with some easy sentimentality in the last page or two. It's debatable.
In the end, while there is some beautiful craftsmanship here, some truly poignant moments and fine detail, I can't recommend it all that highly due to its sketchy side characters, its uneven pace, and general lack of compelling story, though I think what's here bodes well for her next novel, which I'll definitely pick up.
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Summary: Many immigrants and first generation Americans may relate
Review: Bittersweet and moving. Though I am from the Jamaican culture, I found that I related well to the Bengali immigrant struggle. If you are looking for a happy, fluffy book, this is not the book for you. However, if you are looking for some depth this book is for you. It was disturbing though how immoral and deeply flawed the adult Americanized characters became. Unless you are excessively sensitive and would become disillusioned by the Americanized character's bouts of immorality, I recommend this book.
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Summary: Pretty but ocasionally unsteady
Review: I'm thirteen. I got this book from the library after being enchanted by her collection of short stories, "Interpreter of Maladies". As with "Interpreter", "The Namesake" is written in Lahiri's simple, descriptive style that alone makes the book stand out. For the part of the book that follows Gogol's childhood, she focuses on his confusion with his name, as well as with his Indian heritage. However, after her protagonist turns eighteen Lahiri writes more about Gogol trying to find his identity, which happens through a couple of relationships. The first is interesting enough, but the second is a little redundant. The ending is also good, but has the slight feeling of Gogol saying "I recognize everything I've done wrong!" and "Now I finally understand everything about my name!" Overall, I would reccomend this book, though not before "Interpreter of Maladies", which is a better first impression. Save this one for those of us who are already fans of Lahiri's writing.
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Summary: Audiobook review
Review: I am writing this review to warn all potential buyers to beware of the audio book. I have searched the web for Jhumpa Lahiri's e-mail address to inform her of the terrible choice she made in allowing Sarita Chowdhury (Mississippi Masala has been) to read her book. She emphasizes unnecessarily and at the wrong points. The book is terrific, but the reader destroys any interest one might have. Her husky voice is totally inappropriate for this material, and she has no idea on how to pronounce Indian names. And finally, she butchers the central character's name repeatedly as 'goggle', instead of the correct pronounciation 'go-'goal' - I for one should know as I share the same name! I am not saying that just because this book is about second generation Indian Americans, someone has to read the audiobook in an Indian accent - but it would be beneficial if someone did not butcher the names in a very Western manner. A personal gripe - Ms. Lahiri - you go and get married all traditional in my city Calcutta and yet you cannot republish the book there so that middle class Indians can afford to read your masterpiece!
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Summary: Go, Jhumpa, go!
Review: I usually read 2-3 pages of a book before falling asleep, but this book - Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake" kept me staying up till 2am in the morning, and the only reason I stopped reading then was because I had to be at work the next morning! I really liked her observations of things - and often made me wonder how close this was to the author's own real-life experience growing up in New England. Having lived in New York myself, and travelled around the New England states, I could relate to the events in this book. I was so impressed with this book that I gifted it to several people in the Holidays of 2003. Have a good time reading it yourself!
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