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A review by dejnozkova
Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Minimalist and thoughtful. Melancholy and tender. This is precisely the book I needed to read at this precise point in my life oh my god? Highly recommend to any human being stuck in a period of transition —anyone who feels lonely, lost, unmotivated, fearful of the future, or grieving missed opportunities.
Firstly I love how the book is written. Simplicity is Lahiri’s signature writing style, and again her voice makes her work effortlessly approachable and somehow intimate. But she takes her minimalist approach to storytelling one step further by providing us with a protagonist we don’t know the name of, who interacts with other characters we don’t know the names of. This story is marked by Place as opposed to Person; the characters have vague identities but the chapters are titled by places, placing the focus on the protagonist’s environment and how that environment affects her inner being.
Secondly I adore the tender reflective melancholy undercurrents that ebb and flow through the course of the novel. Amidst others there is a sense of isolation and loneliness, and eventually, a soft affection for the presence of strangers. The protagonist laments the life she hasn’t lived and ruminates on what could be. She’s also tormented by the possibilities of the future. I love that this book touches on the loneliness of existence, but Lahiri also shines a silver glow over the beauty of every day life and encourages the exercise of gratitude and observation.
I feel this is a very honest novel about life and the reality of being a human being. It’s often a dull sadness punctuated by little joys. And in a culture that places so much emphasis on success and happiness, where we perform only our best selves and highlight our best moments for the people around us online and in real life, it’s such a relief to read a piece of literature that touches so close to home how disappointing life can often be without denying the magic of being and crystallizing the kinds of moments we live and wait for. It’s so important to acknowledge that life is given meaning by both the good AND the bad, and it damages us to focus purely on the good. Feeling that we are somehow failures for not perfectly following a prescribed narrative of how we should live our lives and how we have to achieve this pinnacle of Happiness (as if it’s somehow a permanent and tangible thing one catch capture). As if being sad or lonely or scared or different makes us somehow lesser and makes our lives a failure. This novel challenges this attitude with a refreshing openness towards the mundane.
I feel SEEN by this book and will definitely be recommending it to others.
Firstly I love how the book is written. Simplicity is Lahiri’s signature writing style, and again her voice makes her work effortlessly approachable and somehow intimate. But she takes her minimalist approach to storytelling one step further by providing us with a protagonist we don’t know the name of, who interacts with other characters we don’t know the names of. This story is marked by Place as opposed to Person; the characters have vague identities but the chapters are titled by places, placing the focus on the protagonist’s environment and how that environment affects her inner being.
Secondly I adore the tender reflective melancholy undercurrents that ebb and flow through the course of the novel. Amidst others there is a sense of isolation and loneliness, and eventually, a soft affection for the presence of strangers. The protagonist laments the life she hasn’t lived and ruminates on what could be. She’s also tormented by the possibilities of the future. I love that this book touches on the loneliness of existence, but Lahiri also shines a silver glow over the beauty of every day life and encourages the exercise of gratitude and observation.
I feel this is a very honest novel about life and the reality of being a human being. It’s often a dull sadness punctuated by little joys. And in a culture that places so much emphasis on success and happiness, where we perform only our best selves and highlight our best moments for the people around us online and in real life, it’s such a relief to read a piece of literature that touches so close to home how disappointing life can often be without denying the magic of being and crystallizing the kinds of moments we live and wait for. It’s so important to acknowledge that life is given meaning by both the good AND the bad, and it damages us to focus purely on the good. Feeling that we are somehow failures for not perfectly following a prescribed narrative of how we should live our lives and how we have to achieve this pinnacle of Happiness (as if it’s somehow a permanent and tangible thing one catch capture). As if being sad or lonely or scared or different makes us somehow lesser and makes our lives a failure. This novel challenges this attitude with a refreshing openness towards the mundane.
I feel SEEN by this book and will definitely be recommending it to others.