Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
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Book Reviews of Unaccustomed Earth
Book Review: Beautiful and Profound
Summary: 5 Stars
What a wonderful collection of stories, equal to her debut triumph and Pulitzer Prize winner, The Interpreter of Maladies. I was immersed in each story and felt connections to the various characters, despite the cultural differences. There is so much in life that can be universally understood beyond ethnic, national and racial boundaries, and Lahiri communicates this beautifully.
The first part of the book contains five separate short stories which all deal with similar themes. All of the Bengali characters are involved in unconventional relationships, often marrying Americans despite their traditional parent's wishes. The emphasis is the rift these relationships cause between the parents and their grown children who shirk the conservative lifestyle and culture of their parents. But underneath it all, there still remains a sense of obligation to aging parents and a familial bond that transcends the younger generation's Americanism.
The second part of the book is three related stories that could have easily been a novella. It is the story of a Hema and Kaushik whose lives intersect at different periods over the years. They first know each other as young children whose parents are close friends. Then they are thrust back into each other's lives as teenagers, under uncomfortable and tragic circumstances. Finally, decades later, they meet randomly in Rome and have a fleeting affair despite Hema's engagement. Theirs is a story full of remorse and what-could-have-been. It is a sad but profound conclusion. I loved the different voices Lahiri gave to these three stories, the first being told in first person by Hema, the second by Kaushik, and the final story of their last reunion in third person. Brilliantly written and engaging.
Book Review: Simply hypnotic...She will drag you into the rain...
Summary: 5 Stars
The Unaccustomed Earth is impossible to stop reading because:
1. Ms. Lahiri's short stories NEVER feel like short stories. They never feel fleeting or unsubstantial. They simply abduct you the way a 500 page novel can. Each tale is deceptively powerful...like shots of Tequila, and it only takes a few pages before you're reeling and forgetting your surroundings because you're suddenly transported to a garden in Seattle or at a wedding reception in the pouring rain.
2. And she will drag you into that rain...
3. And her characters are not the characters floating in the mind of a writer. They're not generic or vaporous or sewn together with the usual stale adjectives. You can't see the seams on these characters. You can't see where they begin or end because they don't begin and they don't end. When you meet them they're as alive as anyone you know and when you leave them at the end of a story, they go on without you, into rooms, into cars, into planes. They inhabit the world.
4. And there are families and they are all tangled up, destroyed, yearning, redeeming, hating, aching, and not once, not for a single second did I pause when I was reading The Unaccusomed Earth and think, I don't really believe this or I knew that would happen...
5. Ms. Lahiri's imagination is ferocious, stealthy, as endless as the ocean. You float into it because it's so smooth and effortless and then suddenly, deliberately, it's engulfed you.
Book Review: A comforting familiarity
Summary: 5 Stars
I, like other readers, felt that many of the characters and stories seemed very similar to Ms. Lahiri's other works. While this may be the case, I found it comforting. Though the characters are almost always Begali, they could easily be members of other groups. I think Ms. Lahiri touches on themes common to most people: loneliness, isolation, longing, etc. Ms. Lahiri is writing what she knows and she does it well.
I think at this point, I would expect these types of stories from Ms. Lahiri, just as people expect horror from Stephen King. Can you imagine if you read this book and it was all about Cuban immigrants in Miami? Maybe a lot of the same themes would apply, but it wouldn't be what you'd expect.
It's nice to open this book and find some familiar (but different) characters back in Boston (and beyond). But once you go past the surface, there is more than the Bengali experience. It's not the "Namesake" in small chunks or "Interpreter of Maladies" with a few new characters.
With that said, I'd definitely recommend "Unaccustomed Earth" to those who have not read Ms. Lahiri before and those who are coming back for more. While the settings are familiar, you don't need to have read any of her other books to thoroughly enjoy this one. Finally, I'd say the last two related stories alone are worth the price of admission, so to speak. Enjoy!
Book Review: A writer's workbook
Summary: 5 Stars
Jhumpa Lahiri is a writer's writer. These stories are very romantic about missed loves. She uses stream of consciousness, changes of point of view, description, storytelling, and other writing techniques very well. I am amazed at her style.
She writes what she knows. She is a Bengali immigrant. Her characters and stories reflect that heritage. Her stories contain culture but are not limited to the culture. She is describing the human condition that is universal to all: A father who is trying to make a new life and trying to make up to a daughter for past ills; a flat-mate who falls in love with another but dares not express that love; parents that set unrealistic standards for their children. The situations are real and universal. I learn about the Bengali people but I also learn about life through her writing.
I was expecting a full novel instead of short stories in the first part of the book and a novella in the second part. She writes about the different garments and dishes but explain them well. Her purpose is not to do that. Her purpose is to tell the story and detailed descriptions of the foods and garments would distract. The reader can always go to Google for more detailed information.
The book kept my focus. A good read as they say. But more importantly for me, I found myself smiling at the style and techniques in admiration and jealousy.
Book Review: A perfect "10" -- have to settle for 5 stars
Summary: 5 Stars
To be brutally honest, short stories are a genre I usually avoid. I find myself frustrated with having to start and stop the story and my (usual) inability to get into the flow and inhabit the fictional world. When it comes to Jhumpa Lahiri, none of the above holds true and I will read anything she writes, in any genre. This collection of eight short stories is just as fabulous as "Interpreter of Maladies" and her full-length novel "The Namesake". Three books, three knockout winners in my opinion.
The first five stories are independent of each other and the final three are interwoven with the characters. Each story typically runs 40 pages so there is enough time to fully develop these characters and she does it so well. Telling the stories of second generation Bengalis, Ms. Lahiri explores all aspects of being immigrants and the children of immigrants but particularly shines as it relates to the conflict between the parents looking back to India and the children looking forward to the United States. Each story is an absolute jewel that creates a world where the reader can enter, enjoy and then exit all within the span of relatively few pages. Very few authors can do this to my satisfaction and she is the best I have found.
Outstanding book and incredibly talented author overall.