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mariebrunelm's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This collection of short stories centers on the experiences of first- or second-generation Bengali immigrants in the USA. I picked it up very randomly when my local library had a clear-out of the English section, as an opportunity to branch out. And it worked !
The first short stories in the book are on the longer side and introduce unrelated characters, whereas the last four shorter pieces follow the same two characters at different points of their lives, alternating between their two points of view.
Although it took me a few dozen pages to ease into the slow rhythm of the narratives (and that’s from someone who had just read a slow and contemplative novel just before that one), the book grew on me and I appreciated more and more as I progressed. All of the stories center on family relationships and the way people dance between their two cultures. Yet the author does an excellent job, it seemed to me, of charting their identity as something other than an either/or, often in contrast with parental figures. The main characters here are quietly determined not to disappear within a solely American or solely Bengali identity, but find meaningful ways to be both. Even though there are no at-length discussions of culture and heritage, those themes pervade the characters’ daily life and shine through here and there, making this book a thoughtful anthology that will probably speak to many readers embracing both aspects of their double heritage.
CW: death of parent, grief, cancer, infidelity, alcoholism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Alcoholism
Moderate: Cancer and Infidelity
audc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
3.5 | 4.19 | | - | 5 | - | 3.5 | 4.5
Two stories I couldn’t bring myself to rate.
There’s something to be said about how the author explores these relationships. Always ending them in disaster.
Two stories I couldn’t bring myself to rate.
There’s something to be said about how the author explores these relationships. Always ending them in disaster.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Murder, Blood, Death, Animal death, Infidelity, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Child abuse, War, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Ableism
kcarney86's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Addiction, and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity and Chronic illness
Minor: War
sakisreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
✨ Thrifted ✨
I bought this for a friend, hoping this would be a great introduction into Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing, but ended up reading it for myself also and immensely enjoying lots of it ❤️
Some stories I enjoyed were:
Unaccustomed Earth (that disconnect from ‘home’ and interracial marriages was such a fascinating read) 😳
Hell-Heaven (this discomfort between loving someone and knowing you’ll never be with them made this story heated and hard-hitting) 🫠
The one that hit me most though, was definitely Part Two: Kaushi and Hema. Kaushi is a man whose loss drives him to never find a ‘home’ (instead travelling far and wide to work on photography) and Hema is a woman who never really settles for her ‘home’ either (instead doing studying art and literature). Their connection is forced, as Kaushi’s dad and mum essentially crash Hema’s dad and mum’s home for a month as they try and find somewhere to live in the US 😳 As we find out later on, this is because Kaushi’s mum is dying of cancer and they wanted to find her last home and treatment 🥺
Their reunion years later sparked so many emotions and I LOVE the way in which they are very flawed humans throughout the story, Kaushi always still being guarded and Hema trying desperately to fit in. I definitely wasn’t expecting the end however, and that made me very teary 😫 As someone who personally knows about the effects those tsunamis parts of South East Asia had in 2004, I absolutely was not expecting them in this tale! Hema losing Kaushi was devastating to say the least.
I’m definitely recommending this series of short stories ✨
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Colonisation, Mental illness, and Alcoholism
visionsoforchids's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent
internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Sexual content
ginnycady's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism
tsnhjhn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
a collection of short stories centering bengali characters from calcutta.
could relate to some of the cultural aspects but it was definitely very second generation immigrant and upper middle class family centric. (also a small note but it felt slightly pretentious that almost every single character went to an ivy or an otherwise very prestigious college)
continuing feeling of melancholy and loneliness throughout the book with some heavy themes so definitely not a lighthearted feel-good read, but it was refreshing to read about characters with complicated lives that felt very human, albeit depressing
my favorite one was definitely the very first one, the titular story, unaccustomed earth; it made me feel very reflective of my own future and the future of my relationships with my parents and siblings and grief and death and moving on and abandonment. carved a hole in my heart
could relate to some of the cultural aspects but it was definitely very second generation immigrant and upper middle class family centric. (also a small note but it felt slightly pretentious that almost every single character went to an ivy or an otherwise very prestigious college)
continuing feeling of melancholy and loneliness throughout the book with some heavy themes so definitely not a lighthearted feel-good read, but it was refreshing to read about characters with complicated lives that felt very human, albeit depressing
my favorite one was definitely the very first one, the titular story, unaccustomed earth; it made me feel very reflective of my own future and the future of my relationships with my parents and siblings and grief and death and moving on and abandonment. carved a hole in my heart
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcoholism, Addiction, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Cancer
claudia_bow's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Medical trauma, and Alcoholism
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