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A review by dustycabbage
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
4.25
4.1 stars. A good book. I’m glad I read Interpreter of Maladies before this work as it feels like an amuse bouche to Lahiri’s writing. Her ability for such deep character driven stories is amazing, considering this book clocks in at just under 300 pages. I hate overusing this term, but the story is so intimately rich. There’s a richness to the love stories, the unjust deaths, and the small happenings of everyday life across 30 odd years of the Ganguli family. There’s a slow burn to the novel as you experience Gogol’s life across every tender (and not so tender) moment. The title of the book is something I kept acutely on my mind as I was someone who also struggled with my name growing up. I saw myself in a lot of Gogol’s anxiety surrounding not only his name, but his namesake and roots.
The novel reminds me of Mistry’s A Fine Balance in all the best ways as well. There’s a certain beauty to this book which made it hard for me to put down, and for that, I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates strong character driven writing with special attention to the immigrant story.
The novel reminds me of Mistry’s A Fine Balance in all the best ways as well. There’s a certain beauty to this book which made it hard for me to put down, and for that, I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates strong character driven writing with special attention to the immigrant story.