The Namesake

I finished The Namesake: Lahiri. I thoroughly enjoyed this book: it was powerful in a way I was not suspecting, and thrilling in a way that seems impossible after you've read the back.

The book is about an Indian man and woman who get married and move to Boston. It details the struggle that each of them face being away from their families, and more so, living in a world that is unfamiliar to them.

She has a baby. This moment is so magical in the book. For the first time in my life I understand how important family will be during this time in a woman's life. I also saw a glimpse of what it means to loose yourself to gain a new self. All in Lahiri's pages are details of this experience, of how one woman copes and, sometimes, does not cope.

As the eldest kid grows up in an Indian family surrounded by other Indian families, he is faced feeling deeply disconnected after going to school and entertaining American life. Eventually the young boy changes his name-- a moment in the book that is too powerful to write about and too deeply emotional to highlight.

The book has many marvelous themes. Any reader can relate to Lahiri's words because we've all felt alone, different, disconnected, or insecure. I had a hard time putting the book down, and when I was done reading I was left wanting to hear more from Lahiri. She is a brilliant wordsmith and I'm glad that I've been introduced to her work.

Read this book. Next stop, see the movie. (I've heard that it's not nearly as good as the book).