nigelbuchanan

Beautifully written, heartbreaking and full of longing, The Namesake proves that Lahiri's talent is not limited to short stories. The focus of the novel is two-fold, one storyline focuses on Ashoke and Ashima, Bengali immgrants who reside in the Boston area. The second half of the novel focuses more on their son Gogol, who, like many children of immigrants, tries to distance himself from their traditional culture and reinvent himself as something seperate and more American. The strongest portions of the book focus on the parents, particulary the mother, Ashima. Her longings for homeland and confusion with her new world are palpable and the way she works out a balance between her old and new countries is admirable and graceful. Though Lahiri spends more time with Gogol, he feels less emotionally rich than his parents, though by the end of the novel, a deep sympathy has been built up for the character. If anything Gogol's series of relationships with women is an interesting contrast of his parents. Their was an arranged marriage that developed into deep love and respect, while Gogol choose his own lovers with varying degrees of success. Lahiri's prose is beautiful and moving in it's elegance and I look forward to any future writing by this superb author.

2022-11-30 04:59