The Namesake: A Novel by Jhumpa Lahiri
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Book Summary Author: Jhumpa Lahiri Edition: Paperback Audio: French (Unknown) Format: Bargain Price Published: 2004-09-01 ISBN: N/A Number of pages: 304 Publisher: Mariner Books Product features:
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| New | New Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $4.95 | ||
| Used | Used Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $2.21 | ||
| Collectible | Collectible Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $39.95 |
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Book Reviews of the The Namesake: A Novel
Customer Review: Exploring Assimilation and Loss of Identity
Summary: 4 Stars
Gogol Ganguli is The Namesake of the title of this book. A first generation American, born to Bengali parents, Gogol is named after a Russian author is father admires. The name was given to him as a temporary name, while is parents await a letter from home in which a grandmother will send with his true name. The letter never arrives and Gogol becomes a name that never seems to fit, just as Gogol himself never seems completely at home in America or on his frequent trips back to his parent's home country.
I really liked the use of language in this book, as well as the description of a culture and customs I don't know very well. The depiction of the children of immigrants who seem caught between two worlds was portrayed very well. At times I did find Gogol a hard person to like, but I did understand his confusion about who he was.
A very good story about the difficulties of assimilation and loss of identity, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Gogol and his family's trials and tribulations in America.