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A review by ulanur
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
emotional
reflective
relaxing
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
REVIEW 💠Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Lahiri's debut and my second short story collection from her and I loved it completely.
Short stories is such a hard genre to find a favourite author in, they can often feel disjointed or pointless, but never with Lahiri. Each story has it's own heart, charm, and subtle beauty. I remember the characters in every story, that's how real and nuanced they were. Hard to believe this is a debut and not at all surprising it won a Pulitzer.
Some stories take place in India, some in the US. With immigrant stories Lahiri has a gift for depicting the delicate balance of inherited history and traditions with the brand new world they are born into or move to. The stories mostly have experiences that you can just tell come from the author's own memories, which added so much depth and compassion.
This collection is perfectly named. The titular short story follows a tour guide who also interprets for a doctor, but as well as translating for patients, he becomes an interpreter of much deeper maladies when one of the tourists he's taking around the old world shared a secret with him. The importance of language is not just a plot point, but exemplified by the authors masterclass on writing.
Maladies left me feeling melancholic and deeply touched. Subtle, melodious and a pleasure to read
Lahiri's debut and my second short story collection from her and I loved it completely.
Short stories is such a hard genre to find a favourite author in, they can often feel disjointed or pointless, but never with Lahiri. Each story has it's own heart, charm, and subtle beauty. I remember the characters in every story, that's how real and nuanced they were. Hard to believe this is a debut and not at all surprising it won a Pulitzer.
Some stories take place in India, some in the US. With immigrant stories Lahiri has a gift for depicting the delicate balance of inherited history and traditions with the brand new world they are born into or move to. The stories mostly have experiences that you can just tell come from the author's own memories, which added so much depth and compassion.
This collection is perfectly named. The titular short story follows a tour guide who also interprets for a doctor, but as well as translating for patients, he becomes an interpreter of much deeper maladies when one of the tourists he's taking around the old world shared a secret with him. The importance of language is not just a plot point, but exemplified by the authors masterclass on writing.
Maladies left me feeling melancholic and deeply touched. Subtle, melodious and a pleasure to read