Interpreter Of Maladies: A Novel

These are stunning short stories, worthy of Kipling or Somerset Maugham or De Maupassant, in fact, Lahiri reminds me of that French author. Her characters transit misery to hope to joy to dashed prospects, all in the space of a few pages. There is usually a fateful turn halfway through each story that sets you, the reader, up for what is to come. It might be joy, but it also might be disappointment. In fact, it usually is disappointment. Whether it's about a miserable married couple, mourning the loss of a stillborn baby in Baltimore or a dispossessed widow and gatekeeper in Calcutta, each person strives to achieve their dreams, but fails not only from cruel circumstances but more often, the fault "not in our stars but in ourselves." If you are not familiar with Indian culture, some of the stories, though readable, might be a bit unfamiliar. "A Real Durwan" is one of my favorites--the story of a poor woman who was dispossessed by the turmoil in Bangladesh. She talks about a lost life of luxury, and when things are suddenly looking up for this impoverished woman who is paid pennies to watch the front gate of a house, she suffers unthinkable loss from a cascade of events stemming simply from her employer's promotion. On each rung of the ladder, someone is reaching up an arm to pull you down a peg--and it happens with snake-like suddenness. I love Lahiri's writing, not only because I love Indian writers but because she is a master of character development and surprise--as well as the stomach thump of inevitability. These are wonderful stories.

Helpful book because at the time I was dating a man raised in America by extremely traditional mother and father from India. The book is extremely well written. If you're on the fence of being in a multi-cultural relationship and are questioning things that don't seem just right, then this book may help you get clarification that there are cultural standards that do carry over regardless of what the person from that culture may profess. The book is more enlightening than entertaining. I especially enjoyed seeing and reading the chapter of how so many people in America say "thank you" and that is (and probably will always be) a foreign concept to my former boyfriend. However, I know there are many many wonderful and caring people from India, especially the women. Very sweet! For me, the author of this book compares to the author of 13 Moons, Charles Frazier. I wish my Grandma were still alive because she would have really enjoyed this book. Her heart doctor (one of her favorite doctors ever) was from India.

“Brimming bowls and colanders lined the countertop, spices and pastes were measured and blended, and eventually a collection of broths simmered over periwinkle flames on the stove.” (p. 117) With the sizzling descriptions of Indian food and eye-opening moments portraying the juxtaposition of American and Indian culture, the award-winning Jhumpa Lahiri crafts a collection of 9 breathtaking stories that make up the Interpreter of the Maladies. With its beautiful writing, plot twists, and personal significance in my own life, I fell in love with the novel. Its craftminship and cultural significance outweights the minor flaws it has. Beautiful writing and twists in the plot, along with its personal significance in my own life, adds to my love of the book, outweighing the minor flaws it has. Throughout the story Lahiri uses clever imagery and diction to both capture moments in the novel and reveal underlining problems of dysfunctional relationships. As Shoba, the newly miscarried wife of Shukumar, refuses to put her shoes in the closet Lahiri tells of her reluctance to continue living as a wife. Mr. Pizarda, a Bengali man stuck in America as his wife and children suffer from the Pakistan war, gives a young girl Lilia a “steady stream of honey-filled lonzenges, raspberry truffles, slender rolls of sour pastilles”, telling bounds about his grief and longing for his own children (p. 29). Spot-on descriptions of the daily life of both Americans and Indians combine together in her stories yet are made fresh and insightful in their shocking endings. Her shrewd, but not judgmental tone, captures both the flaws and perfection of Indian culture, creating a true page-turner. The stories, in their individuality, are weaved together in their themes of accepting American culture and loving Indian culture. This thread of unification continues in the stories’ emphasis on love, and the toll that these moves take on relationships. Throughout the novel, characters such as Mrs. Das deal with the guilt of having a boy after an affair, Miranda choose to stop her affair with the married Dev, and Elliot struggle to adapt to life with the carefree Twinkle.The couples struggle with the stress of adapting to a chaotic and forein life in America in contrast to the culturally rich and slow life of India. Yet the relationships born from love, lust, and arrangement overcome their flaws at the end of each story either with a tough ending or a rebirth. Personally, this stress deeply resonates with my own life. I’ve also had to face this move from a foreign country to America. This chaos and unfamiliarity easily can take a toll on all of my relationships, with both family and friends. My favorite story in the book, The Third and Final Continent, reflects this move in my life as a man moves from India to England and then to America. He struggles with noise “constantly distracting, at time suffocating” with “the simply chore of buying milk”, and with very new relationship of an arranged marriage (p. 175) While reading the chapter I couldn’t help but smile as I identified with his adjustment to America. As the story progresses, he develops a relationship with an old women, Mrs. Croft, yet is grieved by her death. Even so he pushes on and becomes closer to his wife, taking steps every day to love his new life in America; it became an inspiration for me to take life “one meal” at a time(p. 198). Every relationship has its flaws, as does every book. Even with its beautiful and smooth writing,the Interpreter of the Maladies at times can drone on. The emphasis of describing settings and one broken relationship after another can at times cause the stories to feel as they were, in the words of a customer on Amazon, “written from recipe.” Shocking endings can leave readers in confusion. Personally I cannot think of a sentence that describes exactly what Jumpha Lahiri was trying to convey or reveal in her book; true themes and meanings are very hard to find. Her diction and stirring statements can distract from the plot add to this confusion. “Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary it all appears, there at times when it is beyond my imagination.” (p. 198) Even with its minor flaws, Jumpa Lahiri’s beautiful description of Indian cultures, the struggle of living in America, and truths of relationships along with its personal significance inmy life adds it to my list of my favorite books. Ending with this impactful sentence that gives me personal motivation, I recommend it for anyone with a love for truth, relationships, and culture.

この本は、凄い。 英語の小説で、ここまでのめりこんだのは久しぶり。 短編集なんだけど、基本的な設定は殆ど一緒。 外国（アメリカ）に暮らすインド人の話。 多分、俺が読解した範囲ではメインテーマは「関係性」だと思う。 夫婦の話であったり、喪失した（かもしれない）故郷であるインドとの関わりだったり、或いはアメリカとの関わりだったり。 登場人物たちは全員、そういった蜃気楼のような「関係性＝関わり」に悩み、思い出し、とらわれたりしている。 作者自身のアイデンティティがインドにあるからこそ書ける話しなんだろう。日本人には明らかに書き得ない。 英語が分かるなら、是非英語で読んで欲しい。 勿論、翻訳されたものも素晴らしいクオリティだ。

Nice book

letto per letteratura inglese all'università, me ne sono innamorata

Got this in perfect condition. One of the best work of Jumpa Lahiri, collection of finest short stories written

A very easy and joyable read.