Interpreter of Maladies

A mark of a good short story comes with the moment when something in your gut sinks, like a penny in a wishing well; it's at once as deep and sad as it is hopeful, and there is something that rings eternally true about it. Each of these stories had that moment. In the interstices of each story, I would pause and feel sad not just for the human condition, but also the melancholy us mere mortals feel at the hands of true artistry, i.e. the awesome literary force that is Jhumpa Lahiri. These stories all involved Indian men and women, most of whom have emigrated to America, and their purgatories of straddling one world and another (figuratively, of course). It was especially delightful for me that most of the stories take place in New England so I could really lose myself in them, departing my reading chair for the sights and sounds of downtown Boston that I know so intimately. This is a book I will revisit, many times I'm sure - for now, I will smile a sleepy smile and enjoy the lingering sweetness on my tongue.

A beautiful study on humanity. Mostly very sad, the stories in this book were artfully crafted. Perhaps because of the style or maybe because of the setting (Boston) this reminded me of graduate school.

I don't know if I'd recommend this as it feels like a very specific flavor for a very specific type of person. I think you have to decide to read it on your own.

I'm not sure what I think about this book. I'd probably rate it with 2.5 stars. Normally I enjoy short stories, but these were odd in that most of them didn't have a concrete ending. I guess I like that in my stories. The Indian culture and traditions were highlighted in each story, but I didn't get enough of the story to really understand those traditions. But I did find them oddly interesting - just wish there was more to them.

Themes of immigration, of the struggle to understand a new culture, permeate Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies. It's not necessarily the central point of every story, though...while all of them do feature Indian people, there are two that are set in India among Indians, and a few of them have white people as main characters. The stories cover a variety of situations, from a young couple struggling to reconnect after a tragedy to second-generation Indians traveling to the country of their parents' birth. Loneliness and disconnection are everywhere, and while many of the stories are more-or-less sad, there are also moments of levity and humor and on the whole this is surprisingly not a bummer collection to read.

I struggle so hard with conveying my thoughts on short stories, y'all, unless they're of the “interlinked” variety. For my money, this is a strong but (as almost always) uneven collection of work. My favorite stories were the opener (“A Temporary Matter”) and the closer (“The Third and Final Continent”). That first one, about a couple reconnecting during a utility blackout, was a total incredible gut-punch and had me psyched for more of the same. And while there are high moments (like “This Blessed House”, about a couple who keep finding tacky Christian decor in their new home and the tension between the husband and wife about what to do with it, which I found incredibly funny, and the not-at-all-funny-but-heartwrenching “Mrs. Sen's”, about a preteen being babysat by a desperately lonely young Indian housewife), nothing comes close again to the impact of the first story until the last one, which relates the tale of a young Indian man who has just moved to the US and his very elderly white landlady.

All of the stories are very technically accomplished...they're well written, the characters are vivid, the prose is insightful. As someone with no gift at all for creative writing, I admire short stories almost more than I do novels. To tell a whole story that emotionally resonates in a limited page count is something fiendishly difficult, and Lahiri does it beautifully. While some of the stories are more closely related than others (there's no crossover in any of them), they all feel like they belong, nothing feels shoehorned in. Even some of the weaker stories, like “Sexy”, have moments that I find indelible and remain with me even after reading several more books since I finished this one. If you like short stories, I'd highly recommend this. If you like Lahiri's work generally, I'd also recommend it. There's a reason this one won the Pulitzer: it's very good.

I'm not sure why I am only giving this three stars. I liked all the stories; they were good, they were interesting, well-observed, compelling. I guess lately I have been lucky enough to read stuff that I really, really like, and in comparison this seems like a three star book to me.

Again, I really wish GR had half stars because probably I would do three and a half. Ah well, it's just the internet.

The only “problem” I had with this book was because it was a collection of short stories. Every time I started to like or feel sympathy towards a character, the story ended. It was like giving someone a paroxysm of happiness - and quickly stabbing them in the back! This might be an exaggeration - it probably is - but therein lies the brilliance of Jhumpa Lahiri. She intertwines the chaos and serenity so beautifully that you can't help but fall in love with every aspect of life - although more often than not, her stories have a low-key and slightly underwhelming end.

The stories typically consist of Non-resident Indians struggling to come to terms with living in a foreign land. Characters are relatable and Lahiri masterfully uses a mixture of cliches and contrasts to prove her point.

I'd definitely recommend this one!