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A review by ulanur
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
5.0
A collection of 8 short stories following the lives of Bengali Indian immigrants, mostly around Massachusetts but also in the UK to slight extent. These stories revolve around themes of roots, identity, family, traditions, language.
I was amazed by Lahiri's ability to capture the unspoken, the quiet parts of people's lives, the internal. I read the first story when I was in the middle of a reading slump so I had to put it down for a few weeks, but as soon as I picked it up again I was immediately immersed, flying through it in a couple of days and staying up past dawn to finish it. The last 3 stories are connected and follow the same characters at different stages of their lives and from different perspectives and I was more invested in them than I am in most full length novels.
Since they are short stories there isn't a single plot to break down, but each of them share the common threads of parents from Calcutta (now Kolkata), childhoods in America, culture clashes that come with relationships in their new unaccustomed earth, academic expectations. Marriages, and sibling and parental relationships are explored in such depth, some stories are set in modern day and some in the 70s and 80s, the wired landlines usually an indicator.
I've never been so impressed by a short story collection and I can't wait to read more by Lahiri!
I was amazed by Lahiri's ability to capture the unspoken, the quiet parts of people's lives, the internal. I read the first story when I was in the middle of a reading slump so I had to put it down for a few weeks, but as soon as I picked it up again I was immediately immersed, flying through it in a couple of days and staying up past dawn to finish it. The last 3 stories are connected and follow the same characters at different stages of their lives and from different perspectives and I was more invested in them than I am in most full length novels.
Since they are short stories there isn't a single plot to break down, but each of them share the common threads of parents from Calcutta (now Kolkata), childhoods in America, culture clashes that come with relationships in their new unaccustomed earth, academic expectations. Marriages, and sibling and parental relationships are explored in such depth, some stories are set in modern day and some in the 70s and 80s, the wired landlines usually an indicator.
I've never been so impressed by a short story collection and I can't wait to read more by Lahiri!