The Namesake: A Novel
by Jhumpa Lahiri
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Book Reviews of The Namesake: A Novel
Book Review: One of my new favorites!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book absolutely blew me away. As a fan of East-West novels, I feel that this one shines out as a masterpiece among other works in this genre.
This book's genius is in its subtlety; it is not a plot-driven work. Its draw is in its sensitive treatment of the emotions experienced by immigrants and their children. I found Lahiri's portrayal of Ashima, Gogol's mother, particularly powerful, giving the reader a sense of how a parent feels as she watches her child slip away into a foreign culture. Through the entire book, I felt Ashima's loneliness and fear through Lahiri's gentle prose. To get a good sense of this, I highly recommend viewing the preview pages, where you will be able to see the themes of approximation and displacement emerging already.
Although it is easy to criticize Gogol as undefined and uninteresting, it is this lack of identity that drives the novel. Through the book, Gogol "tries on" all sorts of different identities. He is inconsistent and transient, but rather than a flaw in Lahiri's portrayal, this is ultimately the point of the novel. This transience, the lack of a solid identity over a long period of time, is what makes this novel so deeply moving, and in the end allows the reader to share Gogol's (and Ashima's) sense of desperation. Lahiri does not resolve this desperation, but allows the reader to see that it is like a set of glasses that Gogol and Ashima will be forced to look through for the rest of their lives. She allows the novel to conclude with bittersweet realism.
This novel is very quiet, and it progresses delicately. It is, at times, a bit dense, and takes some effort to read, but it is well worth it. Take time to savor the emotions in this text, and you will certainly find it rewarding and masterful.
Book Review: All about his mother !
Summary: 4 Stars
When this book was first released 4 years ago, I was in Bombay. I had dismissed the book after cursorily reading a few scattered pages. I was intrigued that one of my favorite Indian directors, Mira Nair was filming this book. I did not remember the book to lend itself to a movie. But then, recently, i watched the preview of the film on itunes and then picked up this book again.
As i have been living in the United States for the past couple of years, the immigrant experiences, which the lead characters, Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli go through, resonated loud and clear with me
Ashima's irritation at not having mustard oil to complete her snack or her observation of the American people, or her gradual, but definite acceptance of the "american way of life", is poignantly etched out by the author. The experience which binds Ashima to the U.S (of being devastated at leaving all her gifts which she has shopped for, back in the train but getting it all back the next day from the lost and found department, without as much as a "teaspoon" missing), or her calls to her son who is etching out his American life in New York, are moments which i am sure will be effortlessly translated to the screen under Ms Nair's deft direction.
But the book falters when it talks about its lead character, "The Namesake", Gogol (Ashima's son) and his experiences, be it his love affairs or his world. It is almost as if nothing is happening, the pace slackens, the character lives out his confusion, but the only thing which keeps it going is the luminous prose, describing his "in-between" world.
But it is in describing Ashima's frailties and confidences, in her maternal instincts and love, that this book comes alive.
Read this for the namesake's mother...Ashima!
Book Review: Worthy of your time and money!
Summary: 5 Stars
Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake," deals with the life of Gogol, an American-born Indian who struggled to deal with the dual identity that he carried. His parents, Ashoke and Ashima, came over to the United States from Calcutta and had more or less adapted themselves to the foreign culture. Their children, Gogol and Sonia however were very different in their mentalities compared to them. Gogol struggled all his life to deal with his name as the name "Gogol" was only suppose to be a pet name; something that his parents or relatives would used. He was in fact named after a Russian writer, Nikolai Gogol. His good name was "Nikhil," one that would appear on the diploma, driving license, etc. However, due to some unforseen circumstances, "Gogol" became his official name. Gogol struggled with that as he wanted to blend in with his American friends and felt that his name was too different. As he reached eighteen, before going to college, Gogol resorted to change his name back to "Nikhil" and felt that he could finally fit in with the rest of the crowd.
On the surface, this book seems to deal a lot with names; good names, bad names and pet names. However, far beyond that, Jhumpa Lahiri touches on the issues of first generation born Indians in the U.S. who had to struggle to fit in, as well as their relationships with their parents. Gogol's relationships with his parents became strained when he did not want to be raise like he would in India, as well as having to accept that his parents would be very different from his friends'. The author did a great job in her descriptions of her characters as well as the relationships between them. Her writing was clear and descriptive. She was able to engage me from the beginning to the end of the book. I highly recommend this book!
Book Review: An extraordinary tale about ordinary lives
Summary: 5 Stars
Lahiri's "The Namesake" will artfully immerse you in not just a novel, but an experience chock full of epiphanies about the seemingly most ordinary things in life. This intelligent, inspiring book is perfect for anyone--readers of all ages and backgrounds--painting rich, multi-cultural portraits of both family life and the individual ambitions of a young man. If you've read Lahiri's work before, you're familiar with her distinct ability to craft engaging stories without much of a plot. Unlike most novelists, Lahiri doesn't rely on the lure of supermodels, murder plots, or Hollywood-style affairs to generate the reader's interest or curiosity. Her characters come from a multitude of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, but are always ordinary people living ordinary lives...yet Lahiri never fails to absorb you with these exquisitely ordinary lives. It is perhaps exactly this--the irony, tragedy, and ultimately the beauty of ordinary life--that makes "The Namesake" such an unmistakable winner.
This is a must-read for anyone that appreciates good writing or good story-telling. In a book that forces you to open your mind and understand different cultures, you will certainly learn from Lahiri's characters, but will also be surprised by how much you relate to them. Different but every bit as good as Pulitzer-winning "Interpreter of Maladies", Lahiri's first novel is sure to leave your mind awakened and your heart touched.
Note: "The Namesake" was also released as a movie, but it does absolutely no justice to the book. I don't recommend watching the movie version at all (I saw it after reading the book), but if you have already seen it, I still recommend this book as the movie doesn't even scratch the surface of the tale within the novel.
Book Review: Who really is Gogol?
Summary: 4 Stars
There have been many novels about identity problems of immigrants and about how this adds to the traditional tensions between young people and their parents, when the young grow up in one culture while their parents retain behaviour patterns of the country they came from; but this novel is an exceptionally subtle treatment of this subject. The central figure, Gogol Ganguli, born in America to Bengali immigrant parents, has all these difficulties, in addition to labouring under a first name he dislikes, (and we learn how he came to be given that name). But he has another name, Nikhil, which he uses to distance himself from his family.
All the characters are beautifully and often tenderly drawn, and we learn a lot about Bengali customs. The book is mostly about Gogol' relationships during his first 32 years - with his parents and with a succession of young women. Those with the young women all end disappointingly for Gogol, and there is a wistful, melancholic, slightly depressing air about the book. There are long passages describing the surroundings of the characters in minute and evocative detail - whether it is the landscape, the weather or domestic interiors. The same detailed treatment is given to small every-day actions of the characters, although they often have little to do with the plot - almost as if they are as important as the emotional journeys that are at the heart of the book. In fact, I think, it distracts attention from that journey; and, together with Lahiri's use of the Historic Present throughout the novel (an irritating device for which I can see no particular reason), I felt just a little weary of the details and the style towards the end. But I still found it a book of considerable quality, which I am glad to have read.